The Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) can no longer collect money from businesses and individuals who use music, following a series of court rulings that have shut down its operations.
The High Court confirmed today that MCSK has been operating without a valid license and must immediately stop demanding payments. This decision caps off months of legal drama that began when the Kenya Copyright Board (KECOBO) refused to renew the organization’s license for 2025-2026.
KECOBO’s refusal wasn’t arbitrary, as the board accused MCSK of failing to submit certified annual returns and audited accounts for the past 5 years, a basic requirement for any organization handling money on behalf of artists.
Without these documents, KECOBO said MCSK couldn’t prove it was managing royalties properly.
MCSK tried to fight back by framing the dispute as a constitutional matter, claiming the board’s decision violated their rights to fair administrative action and property protection under Kenya’s Constitution. The High Court wasn’t convinced, though.
Judges ruled that MCSK was essentially trying to appeal KECOBO’s licensing decision through the back door, bypassing the Copyright Tribunal that’s supposed to handle these technical disputes first.
The Copyright Tribunal also pulled the plug on temporary permissions that had allowed MCSK to keep collecting money while the case played out. The tribunal made it clear that no license means no authority to collect fees.
This leaves PAVRISK, the Performing and Audio-Visual Rights Society of Kenya, as the only licensed organization legally allowed to collect music royalties on behalf of Kenyan artists. PAVRISK holds a valid license and can continue operating while MCSK sits on the sidelines.
The Kenya Copyright Board has warned the public not to pay MCSK anything. Anyone who does risks paying twice: once to an unlicensed organization that can’t legally distribute the money to artists, and again to whoever is actually authorized to collect.
For MCSK, the consequences of continuing to collect fees are serious. The court made explicit that any attempt to demand payments without a license is unlawful and exposes the organization and its agents to legal penalties.
The case isn’t finished. A full hearing is scheduled for July 2026, where all parties will present their arguments in detail. Until then, MCSK remains barred from collecting any music-related fees, and artists expecting royalties will need to work with PAVRISK instead.
