Fathermoh sues record label over Sh87.6m royalties and copyright dispute

**Fathermoh sues record label over Sh87.6m royalties and copyright dispute**

Kenyan rapper Fathermoh has filed a civil suit against his former record label, claiming the company owes him Sh87.6 million in unpaid royalties and has unlawfully assumed control of his digital music catalogue — a case that is drawing wider attention to the precarious legal position of many Kenyan artists within the local music industry.

Court documents lodged at the Milimani Commercial Court in Nairobi allege that the label, which the rapper had signed with at the peak of his career, used copyright claims to block and monetise his music across streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube without his consent or financial participation. Fathermoh, whose legal name is Mohammed Mureithi, rose to national prominence through tracks that blended Sheng and English, resonating particularly with urban youth audiences in Nairobi's estate neighbourhoods.

The case exposes systemic weaknesses in how Kenyan artists formalise their professional relationships. Many musicians, particularly those who sign deals early in their careers, do so without independent legal counsel and later discover that contract terms assign broad intellectual property rights to labels with little recourse for the artist.

Kenya's Copyright Board, which operates under the Kenya Copyright Act, has faced persistent criticism for limited enforcement capacity and slow response times to complaints — leaving artists to pursue costly civil litigation as their primary remedy.

The suit is being watched closely by the Kenya Music Commission and the Performers Rights Society of Kenya, both of which have called for stronger statutory protections. Several other Kenyan artists have signalled they are considering similar legal action against labels, suggesting the case may trigger a broader reckoning within an industry that has generated growing export revenue — particularly through the streaming-fuelled rise of Afrobeats and gengetone — without always sharing that value equitably with creators.