Five Kenyan television projects have been selected for development grants under the fourth cycle of the Film Empowerment Programme, part of efforts to boost original local screen content.
The winning Screenwriters’ Residency projects are Mental by Edwin Kairu, Offside by Lydia Matata, Most Outlandish Heist by Hannington Juma, My Girlfriend Wanjiru Is a Vampire by Gift Kyansimire, and Timeline Bloodline by Wacuka Mungai.
Each project will receive up to KES 1.5 million to support further script development and preparation for potential production.
In addition, two co-production projects, Wash Wash by D&R Studios Limited and Heirs of No Regret by Baruu Collective Ltd, were awarded up to KES 1.7 million each, aimed at ready-to-shoot international projects with established global partnerships.
The jury, comprising Philip Karanja of Phil It Productions, Fibby Kioria, Paula Lowitt, Mike Mwai and Voline Loguttu, highlighted the ambition, cultural relevance and growing interest in genres such as animation.
They also noted that Kenyan writers are engaging deeply with social themes, including identity, class, power, spirituality and tradition.
“The jury’s insights from both programs offer valuable lessons for us as an industry,” said Kenya Film Commission Board Chairperson Sudi Wandabusi.
“We must encourage more original ideas and narrative structures, richer characters with emotional depth, stories that reflect hope, creativity, humour, and everyday Kenyan life, and the ethical, integrated use of AI as a support tool—not a replacement for personal voice.”
Wandabusi added, “These observations are not criticisms; they are guideposts. They inform the Commission’s next phase of intervention, including pre-application story labs, deeper narrative training, intellectual property awareness, and stronger development pipelines for writers at different stages.”
The Screenwriters’ Residency is part of the Kenyan–German collaboration project Strengthening the Film Industry in Kenya, implemented in partnership with GIZ.
It targets Kenyan screenwriters with original, unproduced television series concepts across all genres.
A call for submissions ran from October 6 to 19, 2025, receiving 158 applications.
Ten writers were selected for the four-week residential programme held at Tafaria Castle and Center for the Arts.
Award-winning screenwriter Mona Ombogo guided participants through story development, character creation, world building, and industry-standard writing practices.
The new co-production funding window introduced under the Film Empowerment Programme aims to support projects that are not only creatively compelling but also market-ready and aligned with international production standards.