Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja clarified that charges contained in the Nairobi City County Finance Act, 2026, do not target ordinary content creators, influencers or small-scale digital creators, following concerns and misinformation over new fees introduced under the Act.
The Governor says the charges appearing under the “Tourism Levy and Entertainment Tax” schedule were intended to cover commercial film production and organised filming activities, rather than ordinary content creation.
“These charges were never intended to target ordinary content creators, influencers or young people creating digital content. Our intention is to regulate professional and commercial film productions that require significant use of public spaces and infrastructure,” Sakaja said.
The Act introduces specific charges for film, media and content production.
“There is a clear difference between a content creator shooting a video for social media and a large film production arriving with a crew, equipment, vehicles and requiring the temporary closure or controlled use of a road. That is who we are targetting,” he said.
He said the intention was to cover professional film productions and organised commercial shoots that may involve large crews, specialised equipment, multiple vehicles and extensive occupation of public spaces, including instances where roads or other public facilities may need to be temporarily closed or controlled.
Such productions, he said, are fundamentally different from an individual content creator shooting ordinary social media content around the city.
The Finance Act lists a charge of Sh8,000 per shooting for local commercial filming, Sh50,000 for external commercial filming, Sh8,000 for religious or private filming and Sh10,000 for music video production.
It also provides for a Sh40,000 annual charge for content creation studios.
Sakaja says the County Government recognises the creative sector as an important source of livelihoods, particularly for young people, as well as a powerful platform for showcasing and marketing Nairobi to local and international audiences.
“Since we came into office, we have deliberately created space for filmmakers and content creators to work freely in Nairobi because we recognise the creative sector as both a source of livelihoods and a powerful way of marketing our city to the world. We will not introduce measures that stifle that creativity,” Sakaja said.
Since assuming office, the Governor confirms his administration has sought to create an environment where filmmakers and content creators can operate freely while ensuring that filming activities involving significant use of public spaces are organised responsibly.
Adding that the County Government, remains committed to supporting Nairobi’s creative economy while putting in place a clear framework for large-scale commercial productions that require extensive use of public infrastructure.
Sakaja reiterated that the objective is not to shut down or burden content creators, but to establish a clear and fair distinction between everyday digital content creation and professional film productions that require substantial use of public spaces and county facilities
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