Kenyan musician Nyamari Ongegu, popularly known as Nyashinski, has lost a court bid to keep the terms of his multimillion-shilling endorsement deal with Tecno Mobile confidential.

The High Court dismissed his appeal against an order requiring him and Tecno to disclose the agreement and related financial records in a copyright dispute over his song Wach Wach.

The deal, signed in May 2023, is reported to be worth about Sh12 million. The documents could now reveal the commercial terms of the partnership.

The dispute was filed by Nigerian music producer Sam Are Eliapenda, who claims a 50% share of the song’s publishing rights. He is seeking information on the Tecno campaign to determine whether he is entitled to part of the proceeds.

Nyashinski holds the master rights to the recording, while publishing rights are split between him and Eliapenda, according to court documents.

The musician had argued that disclosure of the Tecno agreement would expose confidential commercial information and breach contractual obligations with the smartphone maker.

The court rejected the appeal and ordered Nyashinski to pay Eliapenda’s legal costs.

The case will now proceed at the magistrate’s court, with the Tecno agreement and financial records expected to form part of the evidence.

The dispute highlights a growing issue in Africa’s music business: the difference between ownership of a recording and rights to the underlying composition, and who gets paid when a song becomes part of a major brand campaign.