NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenya has officially placed a bid to host the African Grammy Awards, with President William Ruto confirming the government has already paid Ksh. 500 million toward the ambitious project.
Speaking on Monday at a townhall meeting at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) to mark his administration’s second anniversary, Ruto underscored his commitment to transforming Kenya into a global entertainment hub.
The bid comes as part of a broader strategy to strengthen Kenya’s creative economy.
President Ruto announced earlier this year that Kenya was selected as one of four nations participating in the Grammy Global Ventures initiative, a collaboration aimed at expanding the international reach of the Grammys and enhancing creative industry engagement worldwide.
“There is a gentleman here from the Grammys,” said Dennis Itumbi, Head of Presidential Special Projects and Creative Economy, during the event. “We’ve instructed the State Department to make payments for Kenya to host the African Grammys headquarters.”
Itumbi also revealed that the Grammy representative will meet President Ruto later this week to discuss the proposal further.
Ruto assured the audience that Kenya is fully committed. “We have already paid the Ksh. 500 million. This is not something we are planning to do; it’s already done,” he stated, expressing optimism about Kenya’s chances to host the prestigious event.
The president highlighted additional plans to integrate the performing arts into Kenya’s education system by introducing specialized training curricula for arts educators.
Key programs such as the Talanta Hela initiative and the newly established Department of Creative Economy are central to his administration’s efforts to monetize and nurture local talent.
“We are working to ensure that our creative industry not only thrives locally but also competes on the global stage,” Ruto said.
He pointed to future collaborations with Hollywood, including initiatives designed to provide Kenyan filmmakers access to international markets.
Itumbi added that the government is also preparing a bid to host the 2027 World Creative Economy Conference.
“This would make Kenya the first African country to host this prestigious event,” he said, adding that the conference could open up “tremendous opportunities” for the creative economy.
Ruto’s focus on entertainment and the arts follows his recent trip to the United States, where he engaged with Hollywood creatives, including visits to key studios like Tyler Perry Studios.
Those engagements, according to Itumbi, reinforced the administration’s goal to establish Kenya as a leading destination for global entertainment events.
Speaking on Monday at a townhall meeting at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) to mark his administration’s second anniversary, Ruto underscored his commitment to transforming Kenya into a global entertainment hub.
The bid comes as part of a broader strategy to strengthen Kenya’s creative economy.
President Ruto announced earlier this year that Kenya was selected as one of four nations participating in the Grammy Global Ventures initiative, a collaboration aimed at expanding the international reach of the Grammys and enhancing creative industry engagement worldwide.
“There is a gentleman here from the Grammys,” said Dennis Itumbi, Head of Presidential Special Projects and Creative Economy, during the event. “We’ve instructed the State Department to make payments for Kenya to host the African Grammys headquarters.”
Itumbi also revealed that the Grammy representative will meet President Ruto later this week to discuss the proposal further.
Ruto assured the audience that Kenya is fully committed. “We have already paid the Ksh. 500 million. This is not something we are planning to do; it’s already done,” he stated, expressing optimism about Kenya’s chances to host the prestigious event.
The president highlighted additional plans to integrate the performing arts into Kenya’s education system by introducing specialized training curricula for arts educators.
Key programs such as the Talanta Hela initiative and the newly established Department of Creative Economy are central to his administration’s efforts to monetize and nurture local talent.
“We are working to ensure that our creative industry not only thrives locally but also competes on the global stage,” Ruto said.
He pointed to future collaborations with Hollywood, including initiatives designed to provide Kenyan filmmakers access to international markets.
Itumbi added that the government is also preparing a bid to host the 2027 World Creative Economy Conference.
“This would make Kenya the first African country to host this prestigious event,” he said, adding that the conference could open up “tremendous opportunities” for the creative economy.
Ruto’s focus on entertainment and the arts follows his recent trip to the United States, where he engaged with Hollywood creatives, including visits to key studios like Tyler Perry Studios.
Those engagements, according to Itumbi, reinforced the administration’s goal to establish Kenya as a leading destination for global entertainment events.
