A day after Nairobi County published the 2026 Finance Act, which introduces mandatory licensing fees for filmmakers, influencers, and digital entertainment businesses in order to expand its revenue streams, Governor Johnson Sakaja has stated that the new measures are meant to regulate professional and commercial film productions.
Nairobi County Governor Johnson Sakaja during a past media briefing at City Hall.
Photo credit: Francis Nderitu | Nation Media Group
According to the Governor, the charges appearing under Tourism Levy and Entertainment Tax schedule were intended to cover commercial film production and organised filming activities, and not the ordinary content creation.
“These charges were never intended to target ordinary content creators, influencers or young people creating digital content. Our intention is to regulate professional and commercial film productions that require significant use of public spaces and infrastructure,” Governor Sakaja said.
The Act introduced specific charges for film, media and content production in the county, requiring local commercial film crews to pay Sh8, 000 in every shooting session, and Sh50, 000 for the international production teams.
Every music video producer will pay up to Sh10, 000 in every project, and an annual fee of Sh40, 000 for static content production hubs.
The Act also demands that going forward, organisers of monetised or ticketed influencer events must get a permit of Sh10, 000 per event, while the domestic streaming platforms will pay an annual fee of Sh100, 000 and local digital content hubs pay up to Sh80, 000 annually.
The county placed an annual fee of Sh200, 000 for television stations, and Sh150, 000 for radio stations.
“There is a clear difference between a content creator shooting a video for social media and a large film production arriving with a crew, equipment, vehicles and requiring the temporary closure or controlled use of a road. That is who we are targeting,” Mr Sakaja said in a statement, dispelling the speculations that the new measures were targeting street content creation and photography.
According to the governor, his administration recognises the creative sector as an important source of livelihoods, particularly for young people, as well as a powerful platform for showcasing and marketing Nairobi to local and international audiences.
“Since we came into office, we have deliberately created space for filmmakers and content creators to work freely in Nairobi because we recognise the creative sector as both a source of livelihoods and a powerful way of marketing our city to the world. We will not introduce measures that stifle that creativity.”
When the Governor took office in 2022, he introduced a policy that opened the door for freelance photographers and filmmakers working in Nairobi's central business district, as well as all content creators.
He said that the move was intended to encourage creativity among young people and help them find employment.
In the previous administrations, content creators, film production, and street photographers had to acquire permit from the County which would state their area of production or coverage, and the duration.
