President William Ruto, last weekend on May 2, 2026, made history by becoming the first sitting president to attend the country’s biggest acting awards, the Kalasha Awards.
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The Kalasha Awards, which are organized by the Kenya Film Commission (KFC), were established in 2009, with the first event being held in June that year, with the aim of recognizing outstanding talent in the film and television industry.
Addressing the audience at the KICC, the head of state announced that 30 per cent of the government’s advertising budget will be directed towards creative platforms.
The president added that the new government advertising policy aims to increase investment in the creative economy in Kenya and thereby support and nurture talent in the film industry.
While commending KFC for organizing the film festival that culminated in the awards, the president urged the organizers to take the awards to the provinces, and State House would look into organizing the next edition.
Ruto the First Ever President to Attend the Kalasha Awards
He directed the finance ministry to find ways to provide incentives for international film producers to come to the country to produce their works, revealing that he would soon meet with the president of the Academy responsible for the world’s biggest acting awards, the Oscars.
The meeting, he said, would be aimed at ensuring that Kenya is recognized globally as a major platform for creativity.
The president was accompanied by the Cabinet secretary for youth, creative economy, and sports, Salim Mvurya; the secretary for youth and creative economy, Fikirini Jacobs; and the president’s special projects coordinator, Dennis Itumbi.
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