Kenyan creatives have been challenged to move beyond protecting their intellectual property to fully commercializing their innovations for economic empowerment, national pride, and global recognition.
Speaking at the World Intellectual Property Day 2025 celebrations at KICC, Principal Secretary for the State Department of Industry, Dr. Juma Mukhwana, stressed that commercialization is the ultimate measure of innovation success. “If you are not selling your innovation, it is a useless innovation,” he said, noting that less than 10% of Kenya’s registered patents and trademarks are commercialized.
Dr. Mukhwana urged young innovators to target the 1.4 billion consumers within the African Continental Free Trade Area and collaborate for greater market access, rather than limiting themselves to the local market.
Principal Secretary for the State Department of Industry in the Ministry of Investments, Trade, and Industry (MITI) Dr. Juma Mukhwana (second right) and Kenya Intellectual Property Institute (KIPI) Board Chairman Allan Kosgei (second left) interact with exhibitors during the World Intellectual Property Day celebration at the KICC.
Kenya Industrial Property Institute (KIPI) Managing Director, John Onyango, echoed the call, emphasizing that intellectual property, especially in music, is critical to unlocking economic opportunities. He urged musicians and creatives to treat their craft as serious business, highlighting a growing local appetite for Kenyan music as a promising trend.
Anti-Counterfeit Authority CEO, Dr. Robi Mbugua, warned against piracy and counterfeiting, revealing that counterfeit music equipment worth over Ksh 30 million had been seized in the last five years. He lauded the proposed merger of KIPI, ACA, and KECOBO into the Kenya Industrial Property Authority to streamline IP rights protection.
KIPI Board Chairman Allan Kosgei announced ongoing digital reforms supported by WIPO to improve service delivery, aligning with Kenya’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda. Meanwhile, ACA Chair Josphat Kabeabea urged stronger laws and budgetary support for creatives, warning that neglect would erode Kenya’s cultural heritage.
Government agencies reaffirmed their commitment to bolstering the innovation and creative sectors for meaningful economic transformation.