Kenyan content creators to start earning from Facebook

Kenyan creator earnings scheme is positive news for Kenya’s thriving content industry. Nick Clegg, who is in charge of global affairs at the company, and William Ruto, the CEO, agreed to start this project in June. It lets people make money from their exciting and unique social media material.

According to reports, the initiative is the outcome of a year-long government campaign to enable content creators to get paid for their online work, similar to what is done on other platforms like YouTube and X. The statement was released following the President and Meta representatives’ meeting at State House Nairobi.

“Kenyan content creators who meet the eligibility criteria will now earn from their Facebook and Instagram spaces as we start monetization by June this year,” Nick Clegg, President of Meta’s Global Affairs division, was quoted in a statement.

A New Era of Opportunity for Kenyan Creators

President Ruto praised the action, pointing out that it will provide Kenya’s youth with more sources of income, and he urged Meta to enable the monetisation of M-Pesa.

“Now content creators can begin earning from their imagination and creativity. I have kept my word to negotiate and get them fresh opportunities. We are banking on the digital space to create jobs for the millions of jobless youths in our country,” President Ruto said.

The move comes as the Communications Authority of Kenya reports that Facebook has surpassed WhatsApp as Kenya’s most popular social media app, indicating huge earnings possibilities for creators.

A similar announcement was made in December 2023. President Willia Ruto said the decision followed a trial plan with competent national creators. He said Meta would let more creators monetize their work so they can make a life.

How will Kenyan Facebook and Instagram content providers be paid?

In February 2022, Meta announced that content creators in 20 sub-Saharan Africa can make and earn from Facebook Reels. The participating nations were South Africa, Seychelles, Senegal, Rwanda, Nigeria, Kenya, Guinea, Ghana, Cape Verde, Cameroon, and Burkina Faso.

To qualify for the program, a creator must have at least 5,000 followers on their private Facebook profile or 10,000 followers on a Facebook page and at least five live videos on a profile or three on a page.

For video content posted on a Facebook profile, organic followers must have viewed the content for at least 60,000 minutes in the last 60 days; for a page, this requirement is 600,000 minutes viewed in the same time frame.

Per industry insiders, Facebook compensates content creators Sh1,074 ($8) to Sh2,685 ($20) per 1,000 views, and the average CPM (Cost Per Mile) in most African countries ranges in the lows of Sh1,074 to Sh1,342 ($10) because the marketing industry is underdeveloped when compared with countries like USA, Australia, Canada, and the UK.

Facebook has overtaken WhatsApp as Kenya’s most popular social media app, according to new data from the Communications Authority of Kenya, indicating colossal earning potential for creators once the monetisation feature goes live.