“This is how they used to steal money from artists!” Ezekiel Mutua and Nonini share evidence against each other.
Emotions in the Kenyan music industry have risen up as rapper Nonini touched on the matter of royalty payments to artists by MCSK. The genge rapper is now embroiled in a bitter dispute with Ezekiel Mutua, the CEO of the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) over his post on social media.
The conflict started when Nonini accused Mutua of mishandling artists’ royalties, sparking a heated exchange between the two.
Nonini took to social media to share what he claimed to be evidence of financial mismanagement within MCSK.
He posted a document purportedly revealing that out of Ksh. 110 million collected by MCSK, only a fraction, Ksh. 10 million, was distributed to Kenyan artists.
The document further indicated that a significant portion of the funds went towards salaries and board expenses, leaving artists with meager earnings.
Expressing his outrage, Nonini highlighted the huge disparity between the lavish spending on administrative costs and the negligible amount allocated to artists.
He condemned the system where artists struggle to afford basic healthcare while administrators enjoy full medical cover, labeling it as emblematic of the broken music industry ecosystem.
In response, Mutua refuted Nonini’s claims, accusing him of fabricating the document and engaging in embezzlement during his tenure as a director of music organizations.
Mutua claimed that the document was lifted from the accounts of another organization and distorted to fit Nonini’s narrative. He vowed to pursue legal action against Nonini and his associates, emphasizing that they would be held accountable for their alleged misconduct.
This clash between Nonini and Mutua reveals the longstanding grievances within the Kenyan music community regarding unfair revenue distribution. Nonini’s outspoken advocacy for artists’ rights echoes the frustrations of many creatives who feel marginalized by the MCSK leadership and system.
The recent announcement by Mutua regarding the distribution of Ksh. 20 million among MCSK members further ignited public outcry, with critics calling out the CEO for the little sums allocated to artists.
Nonini is now exposing the dire state of the music industry and calling for reform in these bodies.
“You see the exact problem that is affecting Kenyan Music Industry. These are the figures
@TheMCSK budgeted Artists monies for the year that just ended 2023. This is a problem in all CMOs administration and directors benefit more than anyone.” Nonini wrote on X formerly Twitter.
Ezekiel Mutua replied saying the document was fake.
There’s this fugitive @Noninimgenge2ru who embezzled musicians money when he was a director of MUPAKE & PRISK. We reported him and his gang to the police last week and we are pursuing their prosecution. Now I hear he’s circulating a FAKE document on social media purporting it’s…
— Dr. Ezekiel Mutua, MBS (@EzekielMutua) February 6, 2024
According to an annual report available on the MCSK website for the fiscal year 2020-2021, the organization’s financial breakdown is as follows:
Gross income amounted to KES 126 million.
Staff costs, board, and members’ expenses totaled KES 64 million, accounting for 51% of the total income.
Administrative costs amounted to KES 40 million, representing 32% of the total income.
Distribution to artists stood at KES 22 million, constituting 17.7% of the total income.
These figures provide insight into the financial operations of MCSK during the specified period, indicating the allocation of resources towards staff-related expenditures, administrative functions, and payments to artists.
