President William Ruto revealed that Kenya has paid Ksh500 million to officially place a bid to host the Grammy Awards.
Speaking at a town hall meeting at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) to mark the second anniversary of the Hustler Fund, Ruto highlighted his administration’s commitment to strengthening Kenya’s creative industry and positioning the country as a global entertainment hub.
In April, President Ruto announced that Kenya was selected as one of four countries to participate in the Grammys through a collaboration with Grammy Global Ventures to boost Kenya’s involvement in the international creative industry.
During the announcement, President Ruto stressed the importance of integrating performing arts into Kenya’s educational system. He proposed developing specialized training curricula for arts educators and highlighted key initiatives like the Department of Creative Economy and Talanta Hela, which are designed to nurture and monetize local talent. He also spoke about forthcoming collaborations with Hollywood to assist Kenya’s film industry and provide local creatives access to global markets.
Meanwhile, Dennis Itumbi, Head of Presidential Special Projects and Creative Economy, shared on Monday that his office had instructed the State Department to facilitate payment for Kenya’s bid to host the African Grammy Awards.
“The President visited the USA, where he interacted with key players in the creative economy, including Hollywood stars at Tyler Perry Studios,” said Itumbi. “One of the outcomes of those engagements is a focused effort to grow Kenya’s creative economy and establish Kenya as a hub for global entertainment events.”
Itumbi also mentioned that a representative from the Grammy Awards, who attended the town hall, would meet with President Ruto later in the week to discuss the matter further.
“There is a gentleman here from the Grammys, and we’ve already instructed the State Department to make payments for Kenya to host the African Grammys headquarters,” said Itumbi.
In his response, President Ruto confirmed that the payment had already been made, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to the project.
“We have already paid the Ksh500 million. This is not something we are planning to do; it’s already done,” President Ruto said. “I’m confident that the gentleman here from the Grammys can confirm that we’re on the right track to securing Kenya’s position in this exciting initiative.”
Itumbi also revealed that the government is bidding to host the World Creative Economy Conference in 2027, which would make Kenya the first African nation to host the prestigious event.
“I have already written to the President on behalf of the Creative Economy Coordination Office, proposing that Kenya formally begin its bid to host the World Creative Economy Conference in 2027,” said Itumbi. “This would unlock tremendous opportunities for our creative economy and further position Kenya as a leader in this space.”
