In a significant development for Kenya's digital content landscape, social media giant Facebook, under its parent company Meta, has announced the imminent rollout of Instream ads, offering local content creators an avenue for monetization starting June.

The announcement was made during a high-profile event at State House, graced by the presence of President William Ruto.

Moon Baz, Head of Global Partnerships for Africa, the Middle East, and Turkey, expressed Meta's enthusiasm for the upcoming launch, stating, "We are very happy to announce that we’re gonna have instream ads available on Facebook starting early summer maximum."

Baz elaborated that these ads, which can appear before, during, or after videos, will provide creators with a means to generate revenue directly through the platform.

Former British Deputy Prime Minister and current President of Global Affairs at Meta, Nick Clegg, acknowledged President Ruto's advocacy for Kenyan creators.

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"I want to pay tribute to your remorseless representation on behalf of the creators of Kenya," Clegg remarked.

Clegg highlighted Meta's commitment to supporting local creators, emphasizing the potential for them to earn a livelihood from their diverse and vibrant content.

To be eligible for monetization, creators must meet specific criteria, including having at least 5,000 followers, being over 18 years old, maintaining at least 5 active videos on their Facebook pages, and accumulating 60,000 minutes of video views in the past 60 days, including live videos.

President Ruto expressed gratitude to Meta for heeding his call for monetization opportunities, describing it as a significant step towards realizing his bottom-up economic transformation agenda.

"June will be a turning point for our content creators! They will begin monetisation of their content as part of our efforts to create jobs for the youth," Ruto stated.

He also urged Meta to consider an earlier launch of the monetization program, suggesting it would be warmly welcomed by the creator community.

"This is a positive step towards supporting Kenya's 'bottom-up economic transformation agenda' by empowering creators and entrepreneurs," Ruto affirmed.

In addition to the monetization program, Meta will integrate M-Pesa as a payment option, ensuring accessibility for a broader range of creators, thereby fostering an inclusive digital economy.

With the introduction of instream ads and other revenue channels, Kenyan content creators are poised to leverage their online presence into sustainable income streams, marking a new era in the country's digital landscape.