Sakaja Clarifies New Nairobi Film Fees, Says Ordinary Content Creators Are Not Targeted

Nairobi County has moved to clarify the new charges introduced under the 2026 Finance Act, following concerns that filmmakers, influencers and digital content creators would be required to pay mandatory licensing fees.

Governor Johnson Sakaja says the measures are specifically aimed at regulating professional and commercial film productions that make significant use of public spaces and county infrastructure, rather than ordinary social media 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 Finance Act introduces various charges under the Tourism Levy and Entertainment Tax schedule. Local commercial film crews will pay Sh8,000 for every shooting session, while international production teams will be charged Sh50,000.

Music video producers will pay up to Sh10,000 per project, while static content production hubs will be required to pay an annual fee of Sh40,000.

The new measures also require organisers of monetised or ticketed influencer events to obtain a Sh10,000 permit for each event. Domestic streaming platforms will pay an annual fee of Sh100,000, while local digital content hubs will pay up to Sh80,000 annually.

Television stations will be charged Sh200,000 annually, while radio stations will pay Sh150,000.

“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.

The Governor said his administration recognises the creative industry as an important source of income, particularly for young people, and as a platform for promoting Nairobi to both 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 Sakaja assumed office in 2022, his administration introduced a policy that allowed freelance photographers, filmmakers and content creators to operate freely in Nairobi’s Central Business District.

The move was aimed at encouraging creativity among young people and creating opportunities for employment.

Under previous administrations, content creators, film producers and street photographers were required to obtain county permits indicating their production or coverage areas and the period they would operate.