Equity Bank Affirms Support for Creative Talent in Music and the Arts

Equity Bank has underscored its commitment to nurturing talent and promoting excellence in music and the arts through a KShs 25 million sponsorship to the Kenya Music Festival.

Speaking at the Eastern Region Primary and JSS Music Festivals, Stephen Mwaniki, the Central and Upper Eastern Equity Bank Regional Manager, said the donation would go towards cash prizes for winning schools and trainers in Equity Bank–themed pieces and performances.

According to him, a total of KShs 1.6 million had been injected into the Eastern Regional Competitions, with winning schools walking away with up to KShs 50,000 in cash prizes for Equity Bank–sponsored items.

"The future of this nation is with the young ones. Sponsoring the Kenya Music Festival allows us to engage with these learners at a young stage. As part of our initiative to work with schools, this is our second year running as sponsors of the festival," he said.

With Creativity & Imagination in Music and Elocution identified as key drivers of the creative economy, Mr. Mwaniki noted the need to sponsor such festivals to foster talent.

"It is exciting to see the talents that are coming up. We are supporting the pathways and showing students there is hope and a future. We want every content creator to know there is an opportunity for them and that they can have something to go back with. There is hope in content creation and the creative economy," he said.

Eastern Region Music Festival Chairperson Nahashon Mung'atia said the festival has attracted over 8,000 learners participating in various classes, some of which are sponsored by Equity Bank. Compared to last year, Mr. Mung'atia noted that Equity-sponsored classes had seen an increase in participants due to the motivation attached to those items.

"Equity Bank has attached financial gifts, and many schools have opted to participate in classes sponsored by the financial institution. We are grateful to Equity. We have talents that could not have been discovered if such an activity were not in place. We also appreciate the government for supporting this festival through the curriculum."

The Eastern Region competitions are taking place at Chuka Boys High School in Tharaka-Nithi County.