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Ezekiel Mutua now dancing to a different Sauti Sol tune


Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MSCK) Chief Executive Dr Ezekiel Mutua has lambasted members of the public for unsubscribing to Sauti Sol’s YouTube page.

This after the award-winning Kenyan boy band reportedly lost 2,000 YouTube subscribers amid a row with Azimio la Umoja coalition over the use of one of their songs during a political event early this week.

The bone of contention is the group’s hit Extravaganza which they claim was played without their consent when presidential candidate Raila Odinga unveiled Martha Karua as his running mate on Monday in Nairobi.

“We did not licence this song to the Azimio la Umoja campaign neither did we give any consents to its use in the announcement of their vice-presidential candidate. Furthermore, our authority to use the composition, which is one of our most distinct compositions was neither sought nor given. This is blatant copyright infringement as directed by Section 35 CAP 170 of the Copyright Act of Kenya,” Sauti Sol had said.

In an effort to deescalate the row, Mr Odinga, through his Orange Democaric Movement (ODM), would subsequently reach out to the group, stating that the use of the song was occasioned by the love and appreciation of the musicians’ talents.

Now, Dr Mutua, who initially sided with Azimio, appears to be dancing to a different Sauti Sol tone.

“We may have differences but we must not be blinded by politics to the point of hate. Let’s deal with the issues at hand in a civil manner. Sauti Sol remains one of our greatest bands in Kenya’s history,” he said.

Kenyan artistes, including rapper Nonini and Muthoni the Drummer Queen (MDQ), have since spoken out to condemn what they termed as continued infringement of copyright laws in the local music industry.