A live television debate descended into a high-stakes showdown as Dennis Itumbi launched a blistering attack on Cleophas Malala over claims that his party is consuming music without paying a cent to struggling artistes.
Itumbi, the Executive Office of the President’s Head of Creative Economy, didn’t hold back as he looked the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) Deputy Leader in the eye and demanded he activate payments for local musicians.
“And by the way, Malala, DCP has not paid royalties for musicians this year,” Itumbi declared in a heated interview on Wednesday night, April 8, 2026.
“Please go and activate that. Other parties have, DCP has not!” he added.
‘Pay for it!’
The confrontation highlights a deepening rift between the government’s new creative-first agenda and the cash-strapped reality of emerging political parties.
A visibly defensive Malala, who only recently took the reins of the DCP’s 2027 strategy, attempted to shut down the accusations by pointing to the party’s empty coffers.
“But we do not benefit from the political parties’ fund, you know that,” Malala rebutted, referring to the billion-shilling state kitty usually reserved for the country’s largest political machines.
But Itumbi, the man tasked with ensuring Kenya’s artistes finally get their fair share via the new eCitizen royalty portal, was in no mood for excuses.
“But you are a party that is consuming music,” Itumbi fired back.
“If you are saying you are using music, pay for it!” he insisted.
The creative crackdown
The royalties row comes at a sensitive time for the DCP, which was launched in mid-2025 as a vehicle for the disenfranchised.
Critics are now asking if the party, which often plays high-energy hits at its grassroots rallies, is exploiting the very youth it claims to represent.
Itumbi’s public call-out is part of a wider zero-tolerance policy toward intellectual property theft in the 2027 campaign cycle.
Musicians are now set to receive 70% of royalties directly through digital government systems.
Allegations that political parties are pirating local hits for campaign rallies without compensating creators are being seen as a setback for artistes, who have for years been at loggerheads with Collective Management Organisations (CMOs) over royalties.
Smaller parties claim the Political Parties Fund criteria unfairly favour established giants, leaving them unable to meet compliance costs.
