A commercial court has frozen Music Copyright Society of Kenya’s (MCSK) bank accounts and paybill number, for disregarding orders to halt revenue collection.

Milimani Commercial Court Magistrate, Rawlings Musiega, issued the directive after the Performing and Audio-Visual Rights Society of Kenya (PARSK) filed a suit accusing MCSK bosses led by its chief executive, Ezekiel Mutua, of contempt of court by violating orders issued by the court in December 2024. 

The orders barred MCSK from collecting monies and royalties on behalf of its members or issuing licences.

The court has now issued interim orders freezing MCSK’s revenue collection bank account and M-pesa paybill number, pending the hearing and determination of the contempt of court application against MCSK’s leadership.

These accounts are used by MCSK to collect royalties on behalf of its members, who include artistes and music producers.

MCSK’s legal troubles stem from an ongoing dispute over royalty distribution and the rights of music creators in the country.

PARSK, which represents numerous performing and audiovisual artists, claims that MCSK has been unlawfully collecting and distributing royalties without properly considering the interests of its affiliate members.

Specifically, PARSK accuses MCSK of continuing to issue joint Kenya Association of Music Producers-PARSK-MCSK invoices and licences.

In December 2024, the court issued an order directing MCSK to halt revenue collection activities until the main suit could be determined.

 The court also instructed MCSK to cease issuing the joint invoices and licences, as these actions allegedly violated PARSK members’ intellectual property rights.

According to PARSK’s lawyer, Morris Mburu, MCSK continued to collect funds and issue the disputed invoices and licences violating the court’s earlier ruling.

“We were left with no choice but to return to court to enforce the initial orders,” Mburu explained.