MCSK warns politicians

The Music Copyright Society Kenya has warned that political holding public rallies risk prosecution if the don't obtain licenses for playing music. MCSK chief executive Maurice Mwande says that the law requires any public events that play music to have a permit and political parties are not exempt from the law when holding campaigns and roadshows where music features.

"We are urging all political parties and any other group holding public events where music is played to apply for a licence and comply with the law," he said. Mwande was speaking yesterday at Uhuru Park when he received a checque of 180,000 schillings from Raphael Tuju's Party of Action (POA) which has become the first political party to secure one year licence.

Tuju used the opportunity to ask other parties to follow suit saying that was the only way local artists can be promoted as it happens in  the western countries. "We must promote talent naturing of our artists by paying for such licences which will raise revenue for the payment of music royalties," he added.

The presidential aspirant said that music and sporting activities portend a major economic generating activity for the thousands of jobless youths and earn the country foreign exchange.

“In most western music and sports ate the major foreign income earners and the country can copy the same by first complying with such a requirement which will go along way in empowering the artists,” the former Rarieda MP said.

Tuju speaking moments after his POA party received a certificate of full registration launched a caravan at Uhuru park which he says will be traversing all the 47 counties to popularize his presidential quest.

The former presidential advisor on ethnicity warned that coalitions coalescing around tribal lines were a major hindrance to national cohesion while appealing to Kenyans to shun such groupings. Yesterday Democratic Party of Kenya (DP) and Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth's KNC also became the eleventh and twelveth parties to obtain their certificates.