What You Need to Know
President William Ruto has launched Soma Play, a digital platform on eCitizen aimed at monetizing student creativity in Kenya. The initiative, unveiled during the Kenya National Drama Festival, seeks to provide nationwide access to student-generated content while ensuring financial benefits for schools and learners. Soma Play is expected to enhance the creative economy within the education sector.
Africa-Press – Kenya. President William Ruto has unveiled a new digital platform, Soma Play aimed at transforming how creative content from schools is captured, distributed and monetised in a move expected to boost the creative economy within the education sector.
The launch took place during the Kenya National Drama Festival State Concert held at State House, Nairobi, on Friday, where students showcased a variety of performances, including drama, music and spoken word.
The event was also attended by Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba and Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) CEO Charles Ong’ondo.
Soma Play, which is now live on the eCitizen platform, was demonstrated on screen during the event, allowing attendees to witness how the system works in real time.
The platform is designed to provide nationwide access to student-generated content while ensuring schools and learners benefit financially from their creativity.
Explaining the initiative, Faith Onyango said Soma Play is intended to formalise and commercialise student creativity while ensuring broad access across the country.
“Soma Play is a digital platform that will capture, distribute, and monetise the creative content we have seen right here on stage from the schools,” she said.
Onyango said the integration with eCitizen will enhance accessibility and transparency in how school content is managed.
“It is now live on the eCitizen platform, one for accessibility, nationwide reach and creativity,” she said.
“Soma Play will ensure the content and talent we have seen from the students here is preserved, rewarded and monetised to build the economy of the schools.”
Onyango said revenues generated from the platform will be channelled through the Ministry of Education and KICD before being redistributed to schools.
“The money we generate, the revenue generated from this content, will be channelled to the Ministry of Education through KICD, then it will go back to the schools to help support the students who have this talent,” she said.
Onyango said the initiative is designed to ensure direct benefits for learners and institutions.
“So we launch this today so that students and schools benefit directly from the creative arts,” she said.
The platform is expected to give schools a structured way to showcase their performances while generating revenue that can be reinvested in nurturing young talent.
The move comes at a time when school drama and music festivals continue to play a key role in identifying and developing artistic talent in Kenya.
With Soma Play now live on the eCitizen platform, the government is hoping to position student creativity as both an educational tool and an economic asset.
The creative arts have long been an integral part of Kenya’s educational landscape, with school drama and music festivals serving as vital platforms for talent development. The introduction of Soma Play represents a significant shift towards formalizing and commercializing student creativity, allowing schools to benefit financially from their students’ artistic expressions. This initiative aligns with broader efforts to enhance the creative economy in Kenya, recognizing the potential of young talent as a valuable asset for the nation’s growth.
