What is ailing the creative industry in Kenya? This is the question I had to confront last weekend while facilitating a writers’ training. The training was held at a deeply symbolic site, the 7th August Memorial Park in Nairobi. It was organised by the Writers Guild of Kenya.
We gathered at this solemn ground where, in 1998, terror shook our nation to its core. The debris of that attack is now a place of reflection and resolve. Kenya rose from that devastation with scars, yes, but also with strength. Standing there among passionate creatives, I was struck by this parallel: Just as we rose from the ashes of violence, we must now rise from the cultural and economic apathy that stifles our creative industry.
We had honest conversations. We asked difficult questions. Why is Kenya’s creative sector so underdeveloped, despite the abundance of talent? What is holding us back from becoming the cultural powerhouse we are destined to be? I spoke not just as a facilitator but as one involved in shaping the future of this industry.
I am currently developing books on Theatre and Film for Kenya’s Competency-Based Education (CBE). Yet, I feel like I am planting a seed without preparing the soil. How can we teach what we have not trained teachers for? Who will teach Theatre and Film in our senior school when the universities are yet to align their programmes accordingly?
At Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, we have taken a bold step. I have been deeply involved in developing three university-level courses in Theatre and Film, designed to be infused into the Bachelor of Education (English and Literature) programme. These courses are aimed at equipping future teachers to deliver CBC’s creative content effectively. But this should not be an isolated effort. I urge other universities to wake up to this reality. The time for lukewarm commitment is over.
Let us face it. Our failure to rise to the occasion is not because we lack examples to emulate. Nigeria’s Nollywood is a testament to what vision, persistence, and investment can achieve. It is now a globally recognised brand, employing thousands and contributing significantly to Nigeria’s GDP. It tells African stories with confidence and pride. And yes, the world is listening.
Look at California. Were it a country, its economy would rival the top five globally. What drives this economy? The creative sector, film, music, digital arts, animation, fashion, and literature. Ideas transformed into wealth. Stories into structure.
Talent export
Meanwhile, in Kenya, we are talking of exporting our youth, bright, energetic, creative minds, under the Kazi Majuu banner. But let us be honest: many are condemned to menial labour abroad, stripped of dignity and potential. We must stop glorifying this modern-day indentured servitude. Our youth do not need to be exported. They need to be empowered. Right here. At home.
The truth is stark: our writers, filmmakers, performers, designers, and musicians lack structural support. They are working in silos, often driven by passion alone. We need to remember that artists are not just entertainers; they are healers, visionaries, and nation-builders. We will get to understand this when we stop lying to our children that STEM subjects are the only magic bullet that will transform our economy. Who does not know that STEM graduates are the most underemployed and unemployed in the country? Why? Because we exported the jobs to China!
We need to stop treating artists as afterthoughts. We must invest in theatres, studios, performance spaces, and creative hubs in every sub-location and county. These should be public institutions, just like health centres and schools. If we want to industrialise our economy, we cannot ignore the creative engine.
While standing at the 7th August Memorial Park, I was reminded that nations rise not just from steel and stone but from spirit and imagination. Kenya rose from a brutal terror attack. We must now rise again, this time, from the debris of indifference, ignorance, and institutional neglect.
We are all in this. Policymakers need to wake up. Universities have to rethink their programmes. The counties should invest in creative infrastructure. The private sector should see the creative industry not as charity but as a smart investment.
And to the youth, keep creating. Refuse to be silenced. Write. Sing. Paint. Act. Film. Document. Dream.
Let us not forget that nations and people are largely the stories they feed themselves. If they tell themselves stories that face only the negative things in their situations, they will not realise their inherent potential.
It is time to tell a new story about our creative industry. This calls for a national conversation. Hon Salim Mvurya, show your leadership here.
