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Ezekiel Mutua, the chief Executive officer of the Film Classification Board, has sent a warning to musicians and media houses on producing and airing obscene or "dirty" content. "Any artists contravening the Film's and Stage Plays Act Cap 222 will form now henceforth face the full force of the law," Mutua noted.
Mutua's sentiments come shortly after Ohangla musician George Otieno Adinda alias Otieno Aloka who produced a vulgar Luo song dubbed "Ochot Madhako" pleaded guilty to the preferred charges at the Kisumu Law Courts on Monday, August 31. Aloka was sentenced to six months in prison or pay a fine of Ksh120,000 after previously being released on a police bond of Ksh15,000.
"All free-to-air and TV stations are by issue of this statement directed to desist from airing this rancid song and other in the same class, failing which, the Board will take the necessary legal action the singers, producers and exhibitors of such unrated content," added Mutua.
However, Mutua clarified that the board had the Ohangla artiste Otieno Aloka publish a public apology with KFCB agreeing to withdraw the case before court but were unsuccessful. "The Board had agreed to the request and written to the DCI to withdraw the case, but because the matter had already been reported to the police, given an OB number and allocated a hearing date, withdrawal was to be done before the judge on Monday, August 31, 2020," said Mutua.
The "Kanungo" hitmaker was detained moments after he honored a summon by detectives and the Film Classification Board to appear before the board. According to reports at the time, he spent several hours with the detectives and officials from the board recording a statement over the said song that received a backlash over its profane and vulgar lyrics demeaning women.
In the video shared widely, Aloka performed the song in question as two dancers performed alongside him. A backup singer echoed the vulgar lyrics as Aloka's band cheered him on. He was performing the song during a live session on his Facebook account.
Moments after he shared the video, several people, including Kisumu Women representative Rosa Buyu accused the artist of promoting immorality. "I speak as a mother to condemn in no uncertain terms, the lyrics by Aloka. It is true that we must, as a country, nurture and promote talent amongst our youth to enhance self-empowerment and to also reduce the high level of unemployment amongst our young people," said Buyu.
Buyu termed Aloka as irresponsible and vowed to petition the country's 'moral cop' Ezekiel Mutua to ensure that it's pulled down. "Demeaning women and using such vulgar language in a song that is open to a diverse audience in terms of age and sex is highly irresponsible," said Buyu.
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KFCB has partnered with Google, cybersecurity experts, the National Police Service (NPS), and DCI to ensure children are protected against harmful content exposure. The regulatory board has also been calling upon parents, guardians, caregivers, and the Kenyan society to remain vigilant and monitor what children are consuming, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, where most of their time is spent at home.
