Kenya’s Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has pledged an aggressive crackdown on cartels that he says siphon billions of shillings from the country’s musicians, content creators and performing artists. Addressing about 2,000 creatives at his home in Irunduni, Tharaka-Nithi County, Kindiki said the Ruto administration will not “negotiate” with intermediaries who collect large royalty payments while artists “earn peanuts.” Kindiki linked the initiative to a broader government effort to replicate recent reforms in Kenya’s coffee, tea and sugar sectors, which he claims have already lifted farmers’ incomes. He said the State Department of Creative Economy—established under the Ministry of Youth Affairs—will steer the changes and ensure artists receive earnings commensurate with their work. Two draft laws—the Creative Economy Support Bill, 2024 and the Culture Bill, 2024—have been sent to Parliament to underpin the reforms. According to Kindiki, the measures will set up legal mechanisms for transparent royalty collection and distribution while providing state support comparable to other industries. "Cartels in the creative industry must pack and go," he said, vowing that court challenges or political resistance would not derail the plan.