Renowned actress-cum-singer Sanaipei Tande has called out Sports and Youth Affairs Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba, the Kenya Films Commission, and Kalasha Kenya over a monetary promise made during the Kalasha Awards 2022.
The songstress took it to her X account to question the fact that money is being set aside in order to nurture new talents while the existing ones have not been paid their dues after bagging the awards.
This occurs precisely a year after the awards ceremony for the 12th Kalasha International Film and TV Awards, where the winners are still awaiting the Sh200,000 in prize money that was promised to them.
The Amina hitmaker singer questioned the parties involved for no prize money and no communication for the past year, criticizing the Kenya Film Commission (KFC) in the same sentence.
“167 million is set aside for #KNT renovations in bids to develop and nurture new talent! What of the existing talent?” Sanaipei tweeted.
This tweet got the attention of the Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Film Commission, Timothy Owase, who responded by saying that the commission is actively reviewing the payout process and that it is committed to honoring its promise.
“We are deliberately championing talent monetization under the Talanta Hela initiative. We are keeping up with our mission of developing a vibrant and sustainable local film industry and positioning Kenya as a preferred filming destination for wealth and job creation,” Owase twitted.
