The Azinio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Raila Odinga has paid a sum of Sh562,500 to the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) as license fees for pieces of music that will be used during his campaigns.
Raila's youngest daughter Winnie Odinga remitted the money to David Kiragu who is the MCSK Senior Licensing Officer during the weekend.
MCSK confirmed receipt of the amount and expressed their gratitude towards Raila's gesture.
“It's gratifying to see that presidential candidates are complying with the copyright law by paying for music used in their political campaigns,” MCSK confirmed.
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The move makes Raila the first and only presidential candidate to comply with the MCSK laws and adheres to Section 38 (c) of the Kenya Copyright Act 2021.
"Any person who causes a literary or musical work, an audio-visual work or a sound recording, to be performed in public at a time when copyright subsists in such work or sound recording and where such performances is an infringement of that copyright, shall be guilty of an offence," the Copyright Act state.
Violating the law attracts a fine not exceeding Sh500,000 or a jail sentence of four years or both.
The licence now allows Raila and his campaign team to use any music of his pleasing during his campaigns ahead of the August general elections.
MCSK thanked Raila, Winnie and his presidential campaign team for the gesture and urged other politicians to borrow a leaf from him.
“We thank Winnie and the entire Raila Odinga's presidential team for this gesture and urge other political candidates to emulate them by making payments for the use of copyrighted musical works in their campaigns," MCSK said.
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