Dennis Itumbi, who leads Kenya’s creative economy agenda, has announced a new government initiative aimed at helping Kenyan TikTok creators earn money through the platform.
Speaking during the memorial service of late comedian Mr KK Mwenyewe on Monday night, Itumbi shared that the government intends to hold talks with TikTok’s global leadership to push for monetisation opportunities for Kenyan users.
He explained that the government is responding to the concerns of many Kenyan creators who feel left out of TikTok’s global payment programs.
Itumbi added that if TikTok does not meet Kenya’s expectations, the country is ready to take a bold step — building its own alternative version of TikTok that allows local content creators to earn from their work.
“To succeed in this, we must unite and speak with one voice,” Itumbi said. He emphasized the importance of working together to make a stronger case. He also revealed plans to involve comedian and media entrepreneur Eddie Butita in organizing a major event where creators can present their issues to TikTok executives.
“If we come together as one organised group, we can reach out to TikTok Global and express our concerns. If they’re not ready to support us, then we can go ahead and build our own Kenyan version of TikTok with its own monetisation features,”
Itumbi explained. “We need a strong, united movement that can negotiate effectively. I’ll reach out to TikTok’s top leadership, and I’m asking Butita to help coordinate the event through his media company. It’ll be a one-day gathering where we table our issues.
Since TikTok is a private company, there’s a limit to what the government can do, but we can create a platform that works for our people.”
At the moment, Kenyan TikTok users do not have access to any of the platform’s official monetisation programs, including the TikTok Creator Fund, the Ads Revenue Share Program, or the Effect Creator Rewards.
Only three African countries — South Africa, Egypt, and Morocco — are currently eligible for the Effect Creator Rewards. The other monetisation features are unavailable across the entire African continent.
Because of this, many Kenyan TikTokers depend on brand sponsorships or gifts from viewers during live sessions. These gifts can be converted into “diamonds” and later cashed out — a system that many creators say is limited and unreliable.
In contrast, Facebook has already opened monetisation options for Kenyan creators. President William Ruto has previously celebrated this milestone as a major achievement following negotiations with Meta, Facebook’s parent company.
As of June 2024, Kenyan content creators can now earn income through Facebook, provided they meet a few criteria.
These include having a minimum of 500 followers for at least 30 days, maintaining a public page (whether it’s a Facebook Page, group, event, or professional profile), and adhering to Facebook’s community guidelines — such as avoiding hate speech, sexually explicit content, or fake/inflammatory material.
This new push by the government aims to extend such earning opportunities to TikTok, with the larger goal of empowering local creators, boosting Kenya’s digital economy, and ensuring content creators are fairly rewarded for their work.
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