By David Mukara

October 9, 2018

The Ministry is committed to helping the young people prosper through their talents and it is formulating a Film Policy that will see the establishment of a Film Fund, Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Communications and Technology Mr Joe Mucheru has revealed.

Once established, the fund will help the youth in development, production, and marketing of Kenyan film content.

The CS noted that creative industries are a source of untapped potential of economic growth across Africa which could also be used to tame high unemployment rates for the youth who are a great majority in the continent and in particular Kenya.

He was speaking in Dagoretti during the launch of MultiChoice Talent Academy, which seeks to develop and train young, emerging, passionate film talents through experiential filmmaking. The CS also welcomed the inaugural class of the academy which consists of 20 students selected from various countries in the East African region.

He urged the Kenyan youth to tell their own African stories through film, but at the same time avoid eroding their cultural values.

To further affirm the Ministry’s commitment towards creating jobs for the young people, he cited two projects, Sinema Mashinani and Studio Mashinani which are being implemented by Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) and Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KCB) respectively. Sinema Mashinani seeks to promote local film productions in vernacular languages to celebrate Kenya’s cultural and linguistic diversity while Studio Mashinani aims at enhancing availability of recording studios and enhancement of self-employment opportunities for artistes across the country.

Also present during the event were Principal Secretary, State Department of Broadcasting and Telecommunication Mrs. Fatuma Hirsi Mohamed, Communication Authority of Kenya Managing Director Mr. Francis Wangusi, KFCB Chief Executive Officer Dr. Ezekiel Mutua, Kenya Film Commission Ag. Chief Executive Officer Mr. Timothy Owase and MultiChoice Regional Director Mr. Maharage Chande among others.