Culture CS Amina Mohamed says music has the ability to unite a country in times of divisions.
Speaking at the Ongea 5th Eastern African music summit on Friday in Sarit Centre, Nairobi, she said music can be used to call for justice in the face of atrocities.
She said it could instil social values in times of moral decadence and heal a nation torn down by political contestations.
"As a country, we can attest to this healing power of music. When darkness engulfed our nation during the 2007-08 post-election violence, songs like 'Mkenya Daima' by Eric Wainaina reminded us of the inviolable bond that holds us together as a people," she said.
"They impressed on us the need to see each other as children of one nation."
She also cited 'Wakenya Pamoja' featuring Churchill, Juliani, Alice Kamande and Rufftone.
She then said the government is implementing overarching reforms in the creative arts sector as directed by President Uhuru Kenyatta. These would help support the industry and improve the living standards of artistes.
The CS called for embracing cross-cultural and cross-national integration as a way of growing local and regional music industry. Through collaborations between musicians from different countries and music forums like the EA summit, she said, we get to learn from and support each other.
The theme of this summit was 'Disrupt To Thrive!' "Times are changing and digital innovation has influenced how music is produced, distributed and consumed," she said.
