The Kenya Film and Classification Board(KFCB) has pointed out classifying materials run on Showmax and Netflix platforms before releasing for use by the public.

KFCB Chief Executive Officer( CEO) Christopher Wambua noted that the regulation will help protect children from harmful content.

Wambua appealed to the respective management of broadcasters and film streamers (film streaming online) to liaise closely with KFCB to facilitate the classification of content running on their platforms.

“This category will apply to KFCB to offer regulatory oversight on the self-classification just to ensure that the young ones are protected from inappropriate content,” Wambua explained.

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This comes at a time when the rapid growth of television channels from 15 to over 100 has complicated the monitoring and classification of content development aimed at protecting children from harmful materials.

Subsequently, the Regulator has pointed out that the accumulated growth of content development has made it difficult to cope.

However, Wambua has reassured the public that the ICT sector has created numerous opportunities for youth nationwide despite inherent challenges.

Speaking at a forum that brought together local filmmakers drawn from Western Kenya, he decried the film production costs as relatively high.

“The government has proposed a 15 per cent reduction in film-licensing fees for the local filmmakers across the country targeting children aged between 10 and 16 years,” he said.

In this way, he observed that the move will spur the film sector by encouraging investment and creating more opportunities for local filmmakers to monetise their talents.

Wambua concurred with the filmmakers that they should be left to recover from the adverse impact of COVID-19.

He also said that relevant bodies, including the National Assembly, have a role in facilitating this through proper legislation after a thorough debate on the proposed Films and Stage Plays Act Regulations and Guidelines.

However, he added that the prevailing charges against foreign filmmakers will remain intact as a step towards promoting the production of more local content.

The KFCB CEO explained that the current film ratings are termed; General Exhibition (GE), Parental Guidance (PG), 10, 16, 18, and Restricted.

To bridge the huge rating gap for content, KFCB proposes a new film rating (PG 13) targeting children aged between 10 and 16 years, which means film classification in terms of demographics.