A controversy over the allocation of artists’ royalties has escalated, triggered by a document circulating on social media, alleging that a significant portion of the funds collected by the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) was designated for staff salaries instead of artists. The document, shared by secular musician Nonini, suggested that out of the Ksh109 million collected by MCSK, Ksh57 million was assigned to salaries, leaving only Ksh10.5 million for artist distribution.
However, MCSK CEO Ezekiel Mutua has discredited the document as a fake. In a post on his verified social media account, Mutua accused Nonini of misusing musicians’ funds during his tenure as a director of the Performers Rights Society of Kenya (PRISK). Mutua asserted that an ongoing investigation by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) would result in Nonini’s arrest and prosecution.
Mutua also claimed that the document shared by Nonini was manipulated from the MUPAKE accounts of 2017-2019 and challenged him to take the matter to the police if it was authentic. He argued that the document served as evidence of Nonini’s past embezzlement of artists’ money.
