A youth pulls a handcart carrying a woman along Haille Sellasie Avenue, Nairobi, May 16th, 2020. When the Covid-19 pandemic docked the Kenyan shores, every sector of the economy was shaken, forcing the government to embark on a salvaging mission, which has posted a mixed bag of fortunes, one year on.
President Uhuru Kenyatta, barely three weeks after the first coronavirus case was confirmed in the country, announced a raft of measures to help sectors that were most affected.
In his maiden speech post the confirmation, he announced a Sh100 million to cushion local artistes from the effects of the pandemic.
President Kenyatta said in a bid to empower the youth and foster sustainable livelihoods, local artistes would get a portion of the money every month.
He said the fund would allow artistes, actors and musicians to continue entertaining the public through TV, radio and the internet.
The Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage launched the “Work for Pay” where artistes from different creative sectors were required to produce works that entertain and educate Kenyans and the world on the safety and health precautions to stop the spread of Covid-19.
“The Sh100m is therefore not a reservoir of free funds, but a provision to educate, innovate, sustain and improve our output as a sector,” said sports CS Amina Mohamed during the launch of the fund last year.
But the amount was too little, according to some artistes, to help them during the pandemic period.
Brian Ouko, alias Khaligraph Jones, an award winning hip hop musician, said the amount given was not worth the trouble of applying for it.
“If you check the amount you are given vis a vis the cash you will spend in recording a music video you are better off not applying for the cash,” said Khaligraph.
For music producer Eric Owino, alias Ricobeatz, the cash he received from the government for the stimulus did not do much for him.“I got Sh10,000 for a promo music video I had done to create awareness, it did not make any difference for me,” said Ricobeatz.The tourism sector received the knockout blow from the pandemic. With planes grounded and the world going on a lockdown, the country’s second highest contributor to GDP was staring at a total collapse.The government, under the Tourism Finance Corporation (TFC), started a Sh3 billion economic stimulus to help hotels navigate through the economic storms occasioned by the pandemic.The money is in the form of […]
