A new set of filming and content production charges in the Nairobi City County Finance Act, 2026 has sparked concern among filmmakers and digital content creators, with many wondering whether they will now have to pay the county simply to shoot videos in Nairobi. The short answer, however, is that not every content creator is expected to pay the KSh8,000 filming fee.
The Finance Act introduces charges for different categories of filming and digital entertainment activities. These include:
- Local commercial filming: KSh8,000 per shoot
- External commercial filming: KSh50,000 per shoot
- Music video production: KSh10,000 per shoot
- Religious or private filming: KSh8,000 per shoot
- Content creation studios: KSh40,000 annually
- Monetised influencer events: KSh10,000 per event
- Local streaming platforms: KSh100,000 annually
- Digital content platforms: KSh80,000 annually.
The figures understandably caused alarm, particularly among Kenya’s growing community of influencers and independent creators.
Does this mean TikTokers now have to pay KSh8,000?
According to Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, no. Sakaja said the charges are intended primarily for professional and commercial productions that make significant use of public spaces and county infrastructure, rather than someone casually recording a video for social media.
He drew a distinction between an individual shooting a short video and a large production arriving with a crew, vehicles, specialized equipment and potentially requiring a road or public space to be controlled or temporarily closed. That clarification is important because the wording of the fee schedule initially left room for confusion over where ordinary content creation ends and commercial filming begins.
What should content creators take from this?
For now, creators should not assume that simply taking out a phone or camera in Nairobi attracts an KSh8,000 fee.
However, businesses running content studios, commercial production companies and influencers organising monetised events are specifically mentioned in the fee structure. The county may therefore need to provide more detailed guidelines on how it will distinguish between ordinary digital content and commercial productions.
The controversy ultimately highlights a bigger question about how Nairobi should regulate a rapidly growing creative economy without making it unnecessarily expensive to create content.
For ordinary creators, Sakaja’s clarification is reassuring. For professional filmmakers and commercial productions, however, the new fee structure could still have a significant impact on the cost of doing business in Nairobi.
