Why paying royalties to authors remains a cat-and-mouse game

 Enforcement of MoUs under the Copyright Act is weak. Most authors receive royalty statements on request. [iStockphoto]

“Who killed Meja Mwangi?” Prof Egara Kabaji asked in last week’s newspaper. His question was not about death but about neglect. The slow erosion of authors’ dignity when publishers fail to honour contracts or falsify royalty statements.

I once had the privilege of meeting Meja Mwangi and sharing a drink with him, thanks to Dr Henry Chakava. His name, along with John Ruganda’s, remain close to my heart. I studied Carcass for Hounds and The Burdens as set books. I still recall a flaw we laughed about in Carcass for Hounds: a granary collapses on the chief, yet the next day he appears perfectly healthy, addressing a baraza. So, here is my view on why royalties remain elusive and why the chase continues.