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Kalasha Awards 2025 will happen, no cause for alarm – Owase, KFC CEO

By Sinda Matiko February 2nd, 2025 2 min read

Kenya Films Commission (KFC) CEO Timothy Owase maintains that the Kalasha International Film and Television Awards 2025 will happen, even as sources within the Commission say there is no adequate funding.
Last month, it emerged that the 13-year-old Award event, which has been held in March in recent years, is now in limbo this year.
“As long as you have not officially heard from us, you treat that as rumors. You wait until we officially communicate the position but from where I sit, I am still planning for Kalasha Awards. In case of any change, the organization will communicate,” Mr Owase told The East African.
While Mr Owase maintains that the colorful annual event will go ahead, facts point to the contrary, with multiple sources within the commission saying there is no budget.
According to insiders within the Commission, there is every indication that will not be the case this year because, as some put it, “the commission is broke.”
Part of the austerity measures undertaken by the government is said to have affected KFC coffers, leaving it with very little finances to support its initiative and programs.
In the 2023/24  financial year, KFC  received Sh442,729,293 up from Sh310,052,499 the year before according to an Auditor-General’s report dated April 17, 2024.
For the 2024/2025 financial year, the KFC budget was slashed to Sh104 million leaving the commission struggling to fund its programs for the film industry.
“What was allocated for us in the current financial year is only enough to run the office operations and pay staff salaries,”. a highly placed source within the Commission told The East African.
Nonetheless, Mr Owase says it is still on.
A look at the timeline lends credence to fears that this year’s event may not take place. So far there has been no activity to suggest any planning or preparations. It takes at least three months of good planning to organize a successful gala event and from the look of things, that is not happening yet.
Going by recent events, KFC always makes a public call to filmmakers to submit their works in November ahead of the event held in March of the following year.
Several filmmakers told The East African they had been inquiring from the Commission as to when the window to submit opens. The East African also wrote to KFC via its official email addresses enquiring about the dates for the call for submissions.
“Thank you for reaching out to us regarding the Kalasha Awards. At the moment, the event has not yet been scheduled, and the call for submissions has not been announced. We are currently awaiting further details and will provide updates as soon as they become available.’’ The commission responded.
Since the publication of the story on Saturday, it has elicited reactions in the Kenyan film industry. Reacting to a query in one of the Kenyan filmmakers and actors’ WhatsApp groups where the story was shared, Mr Owase remained adamant that the event will happen this year.
“2024/25 FY (Financial Year) Kalasha Event will happen, bigger and better. No cause for alarm,” Mr Owase responded.
Last year KFC spent Sh30 million to organize the three-day Kalasha International Film & TV market trade fair and the Kalasha Awards.