This archive report was first published on 13 July 2020.
Kenyan stage actors have received a much-needed boost with the disbursement of the Sh100 million presidential stimulus for Covid-19 content, dubbed Work for Pay.
Launched in response to the pandemic, the initiative aimed to provide a platform for artistes to create and share content on Covid-19 prevention and management.
"We are pleased that the Kenya Cultural Centre has so far paid 64 artistes with recordings in five regions, including Nairobi, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western and parts of Central regions," said Mr Mike Pundo, the Executive Director of the Kenya Cultural Centre.
The artistes were paid approximately Sh10,000 each for their work, which covered various genres such as plays, poetry, spoken word, cultural creative dance, and percussion, radio theatre, narratives, and storytelling.
While the content was largely focused on Covid-19, nearly 95 percent of the items created were on the prevention and management of the pandemic.
Artistes have expressed their gratitude to President Uhuru Kenyatta and his government for the initiative, which has provided them with a much-needed source of income during the pandemic.
The government implemented the project directly through state agencies, bypassing content management organisations that have in the past been accused of swindling artistes.
