The Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) Chief Executive Officer Dr Ezekiel Mutua during an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) World Service, September 8, 2017. [Photo|KFCB]The Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) has indicated that its content regulatory efforts aim to promote the creative industry by facilitating growth in the creative sector.Chief Executive Officer Dr Ezekiel Mutua saidcontent regulation is meant to protect children from harmful content, and not to curtail citizen's rights to free creative expression."The key considerations taken into account by KFCB in content regulation include allowing people to express themselves and protecting children from exposure to harmful content," he said.Dr Mutua also clarified that KFCB is a classification agency and not a censorship board, noting that KFCB had since moved from banning content to classifying movies with inappropriate content as suitable for adults only."We ban films on very rare cases lately. The films that we necessary to restrict altogether are those that offend the Constitution by engaging in propaganda for war, incitement or hate speech," said Dr Mutua.During an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) World Service, he observed that the exponential rate of growth being experienced in Kenya's film industry must be tapped with regulation to protect children from unsuitable media content."KFCB's model of regulation is rational and objective. We don't control what adults watch, but we have a responsibility to protect children from alien cultures that promote violence and homosexuality."In a communication after the interview on September 8, KFCB said it has a comprehensive regulation system, complete with an appellant mechanism based on Classification Guidelines drawn from the Film and Stage Plays Act, Cap222.

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