The rhythmic beat of Gengetone in a matatu and the familiar hum of local radio in a neighborhood barbershop are the pulse of Kenyan culture. However, this soundtrack is under threat. Members of Parliament are currently reviewing a proposal that would require small businesses—including salons, barbershops, and matatus—to pay up to Sh5,000 annually in music copyright tariffs. While the move aims to ensure artists are fairly compensated, the unintended consequences could be devastating for the very industry it seeks to protect.

Kenya is currently a high-cost environment for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Between rising fuel prices, increased taxation, and licensing fees, business owners are stretched thin. For a local barber or a salonist, an additional Sh5,000 is not just a “small fee”; it is a significant overhead cost. Faced with another bill, many entrepreneurs will likely take the path of least resistance: turning off the speakers or switching to foreign playlists that don’t carry the same local licensing burden.

The irony is that these establishments serve as the primary marketing hubs for Kenyan music. A song becomes a hit not just through streaming, but by being blasted in a manyanga or played during a Saturday hair appointment. If these venues stop playing local content, upcoming artists lose their most effective platform for organic growth.

Legislators must find a middle ground. Rather than imposing flat, heavy-handed fees that punish small businesses, the focus should be on a tiered system or digital tracking methods that don’t break the bank for the “hustler.” If we make it too expensive to celebrate our own culture, we risk silencing Kenyan music in the streets where it was born.