Creative economy professionals have called on the government to invest in infrastructure and create more spaces for artists.
They said increased support could unlock the sector’s potential to contribute significantly to Kenya’s economic development.
According to the Kenya Investment Authority, the rapidly growing creative sector contributes more than five per cent to Kenya’s GDP.
The youth-driven sector grew by 15 per cent between 2023 and 2024 and has a market size of $3.8 billion (approximately Sh492.64 billion).
The creative economy is one of the five pillars of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, and the government has a dedicated Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy, and Sports, underscoring the sector’s role in economic development.
Caroline Ngorobi, founder of Jukwaa Arts, said the Organisation has been working closely with young people, but there remains a huge gap in government support at both the National and County levels.
“This is an appeal, one for Mombasa: we don’t even have proper spaces for the arts. Infrastructure is still a huge problem,” said Ngorobi, adding that they also want support for arts festivals.
She explained that they use the arts to communicate and address social issues through music, theatre, and dance.
Jukwaa Arts has been running for 11 years and, over that period, has provided a platform for diverse artists to showcase their talents.
“Now, we have a festival that we created for these artists to be seen on a bigger platform because in Mombasa we have many artists; if you are a budding artist, it is difficult to get jobs in a big show because you are not yet popular,” she stated.
The festival, dubbed Wimbi la Sanaa, was created to allow young artists to reach a wider audience.
This year’s festival brings together 130 artists from Mombasa, Nairobi, and Kisumu, as well as neighbouring countries of Uganda, Tanzania, and South Sudan.
“We are bringing them together so that they can cross-learn. Most of them are just beginning their careers, with five years or less of practice,” she said, adding that the festival will include capacity-building sessions and established artists.
The festival, themed “Nurturing Talents and Archiving Cultures,” will feature competitions such as Kishuri dances, Heena painting, and Kukuna nazi, all of which are artistic cultural activities associated with Mombasa and the Coast region.
The festival will also have a Bahari Huru Day to promote conservation of the fragile marine ecosystem. Artists and members of the community will plant mangroves at Mikindani Creek.
“Alongside that, we will also present performances and storytelling around conservation so that our communities can understand why we need to conserve our marine environment. One of our key things is to make sure we tap into the young people to steer them away from vices.”
Abdalla Maingu, alias Prince Cloud, one of the artists who will perform at the festival, said he looks forward to sharing the stage with established artists such as Nameless, who has been in the industry for 25 years.
“It is a wholesome experience for me to learn from him because 25 years is almost my age. It is like learning my lifetime up to where I have reached. To me, this is not a small platform; it will build me.”
Wangoi Njorege, an artist, called for the empowerment of young people and the scouting of talent. She also advised girls not to shy away from showcasing their talents.
The festival will be held at the Little Theatre Club from October 6 to 8, followed by an event at Alliance Française Nyali on October 9. It will conclude with a music concert at Wild Waters Beach in Mombasa on October 10.
By Sadik Hassan and Phillip Kipele
