Kenya: KAMP elects Angela Ndambuki as new chairperson

Until her appointment, Ndambuki served as the collective management organisation’s (CMO’s) vice-chairperson and will be taking over from outgoing chairperson Anthony Murimi. She is the first female chairperson in the organisation’s history, which began operations as a registered entity in 2003.

She will be deputised by Anthony Musembi while her colleagues Suzanne Gachukia, Faith Kithele and Monica Kibayu will be in charge of the licensing and operations, finance and human resources, and audit and legal committees, respectively. Geoffrey Kwatemba and Patrick Ndilangu will take up committee member roles.

Ndambuki’s election comes at a time when the CMO has outlined a vision for its future operations, based on transformational leadership, transparency, accountability and more royalty collections for its members.

“I will engage and work with my colleagues to defend our members’ rights and reject any attempts to undermine the exercise of such rights. Particularly, the currently proposed miscellaneous amendments to the current Copyright Act stand inimical to the growth of the producer collective management activities in the country,” Ndambuki, who is also the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry’s (IFPI’s) director for sub-Saharan Africa, said.

The new KAMP board has also pledged to prioritise effective leadership to restore member confidence in the CMO. The board plans to establish global networking and engagement to ensure that the organisation functions according to best practices.

PHAT! Music & Entertainment founder Mike Strano, who is also involved in the Kenyan chapter of the Partners Against Piracy lobby, welcomed the development and described Ndambuki as the ideal candidate for the job.

“The appointment of Angela Ndambuki is a great opportunity for the Kenyan music industry – because she brings the expertise of an IP [intellectual property] lawyer, experience as a former CEO of the Performers Rights Society of Kenya, gravitas as the sub-Saharan Africa director of IFPI and an understanding of music users – from her days as CEO of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry,” he said.

“We’re looking forward to her fulfilling her promises of transformational leadership, transparent revenue models and greater accountability on collections, plus progressive changes to improve collection management systems and revenue.”