NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 16 – President William Ruto has directed Ministries, Departments and Agencies to prioritize online advertisements to grow the digital economy, create jobs and boost income.
Speaking during the 97th Kenya Music Festival in Nyeri on Saturday, the head of state indicated that increased advertising translates into higher content visibility and greater earnings for local creators.
“The more we advertise online, the higher our content is weighted, and the more our creatives will earn. We have no excuse not to advertise online,” President Ruto stated.
The President revealed that when he assumed office in August 2022, Kenya was not among the four African countries whose content creators were monetised on Facebook.
This changed after what he termed “determined negotiations” between his government and the company’s top leadership.
“Today, Kenya is among the select few countries whose creators are paid for their original content on the platform. We fought hard and we won. And we are not stopping,” he added.
Ruto said Kenyan content producers are now also earning more from platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube, which have expanded payouts to local creators.
The Head of State further disclosed that during his visit to the United States next month, he will hold talks with global tech giants to deepen partnerships for the benefit of Kenyan digital entrepreneurs.
Among the key priorities, he noted, is the integration of M-PESA into Facebook’s payment system to make payouts faster and more accessible.
He stated that he also intends to push Google to allow Kenyans to purchase adverts via M-PESA.
“This change will benefit both creatives and MSMEs selling their products online, creating a win-win situation for Kenya and YouTube, which will enjoy more transactions on its platform,” Ruto said.
