The move comes weeks after the Sauti Sol, Azimio case that caused a furore on social media platforms.
Nonini has terminated his membership with the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK). The Genge musician announced the news on his social media platforms.
Posting a letter from MCSK signed by the CEO Ezekiel Mutua granting his request, Nonini wrote, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Moving on to something that actually works.”
The letter by MCSK read in part, “Please note that your membership at MCSK has been terminated effective May 18, 2022, as per Article 19 (e) of Articles of Association of MCSK. We wish you all the best in your endeavours.”
Kenyan musicians have had issues with the Collective Management Organization (CMO) for many years, a rift that is so commonplace that it prompted Khaligraph Jones to release an MCSK diss track called “Kwendaa” which featured a number of Kenyan celebrities including Nyashinski, Sauti Sol and many more. An audit released in September of 2019 also corroborated these claims citing “diversion of royalties, poor corporate governance structures, suspected fraudulent transactions, poor record-keeping and the existence of ghost or duplicate members” as one of the ways money was being stolen.
The move by Nonini comes weeks after Sauti Sol threatened to sue the Raila Odinga campaign Azimio La Umoja for copyright infringement. It bears noting that while Kenyans were divided on the matter, Ezekiel Mutua, the current MCSK CEO sided with Odinga’s campaign while the Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) sided with Sauti Sol.
To reiterate his point, Nonini said, “The human society is the extension of the individual. If we really want a radical change in anything, if we want a better world, better leadership and better structures. We need to change the things that are not working by understanding you have the power individually…”
