KFCB urges content creators to desist from generating inappropriate content
The Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) Nyanza Regional Manager Mr. Edward Koech has urged content creators and filmmakers to promote ethical and appropriate content.
Koech said that the board team was conducting a random field inspection in Migori and Nyanza Region to establish if the video gaming and movie shops had complied with the KFCB laws and regulations.
He said the inspection visit was to ensure that all exhibitors and distributors of broadcast and film content businesses are licensed. Koech explained that KFCB was working closely with the Police Service to ensure that school children do not play video games in gaming shops during school days.
He said that children should be entitled to entertainment but urged the gaming shops and guardians to ensure that children do not spend most of their free time at the expense of their education. The official also urged parents and guardians to cushion their children from exposure to harmful content like pornographic materials that can easily be accessed through their smart mobile phones.
Koech however, acknowledged that from an expansive tour of the county a section of shops was operating without the KFCB licenses. The exercise saw a number of video gaming and movie shop products confiscated due to a lack of a Film Regulatory License.
“We have already confiscated some of the gaming and unclassified movies because the shop owners had no Film Regulatory License. The owners will be taken to police custody and taken to court if they continue to ignore the KFCB laws”, noted Koech.
He urged content creators and filmmakers to familiarize themselves with the KFCB laws to evade heavy penalties and imprisonment terms that accompany the lawbreakers.
“If one is found guilty of operating a video gaming or a movie shop without the appropriate Film Regulatory License the person will is be fined shs 100,000 or five years imprisonment or both”, said Koech.
The official called upon film makers and content creators in Migori and Nyanza region to promote clean content in order to protect children from harmful media content. He emphasized that the core mandate of the board was to regulate film and broadcast content to ensure appropriate and ethical content.
On the issue of sexuality, Koech urged content creators to desist from creating content that promotes homosexuality. He noted that some organizations both local and international were on the KFCB radar for trying to promote homosexual content in the country. He pinpointed that under the 2010 Kenya Constitution homosexuality was illegal and was a serious offense.
The KFCB Official also underscored that currently, the world was living in a digital world, a new technology that the Kenya Film Classification Board was trying to cope with. He disclosed that the board will embark to review The Film and Stage Play Act Cap 222 of Kenya to ensure that it aligns with the new technology. Koech said that already the board has engaged with stakeholders to repeal the law in order to incorporate the new technology.
“Already we have an existing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Google to ensure inappropriate content that can harm our children and society at large is flagged and pulled down”, affirmed Koech.
The official clarified that the board has been engaging in an honest and open discussion with those that post or upload inappropriate content with the aim of asking them to delete or pull down the inappropriate content. He added that the board will also play by the rules in terms of enforcing the set rules and seeking legal actions where deemed necessary.
Koech called upon private organizations that own studios to help the youths record their creative content and promote their talents. The KBC Studio Mashinani is one such platform where youths are given a platform to record their creative content to showcase their talents as well as earn a living.