Tanzanian Bongo Star Harmonize is currently held at the Kileleshwa police station, a day after headlining the Afrika Moja Concert at the KICC.
Harmonize, who was supposed to leave the country on Sunday, was apprehended after failing to make several scattered appearances at various Nairobi clubs, according to reports.
Kenyan comedian Eric Omondi has also been implicated in the brewing scandal, with claims that he collected money from bar owners in exchange for the star’s appearance at the bars.
We have learned that a former Nairobi Governor cum club proprietor had already paid hundreds of thousands for the Tanzanian sensation to perform at one of his establishments.
Melamani Limited, the promoter who brought Harmonize to the country downplayed the claims of arrest, telling the media that the artist had been taken to the police station for his ‘own security’.
According to reports, the promoter was not even aware of the club appearances because he was only told that the ‘kwangwaru’ hitmaker would only perform at the KICC.
‘Konde Boy’ was supposed to perform for one and a half hours at Captain’s Lounge in Sabaki, but only did five minutes, according to Jor Barsil, a director at the club.
“I paid Ksh.450,000 to Melamani Limited for harmonize to come to the club for a party and to be with the fans for one and a half hours, but when he came he only stayed for not more than five minutes,”
“This angered the fans who wanted to beat him up but I protected him, I want be refunded the amount I spent,”
Barsil told media team that the set up cost Ksh.1 million and the star’s appearance cost Ksh.450,000.
Meanwhile, Omondi and Harmonize were forced to flee an establishment along Mombasa road on Friday night after enraged patrons complained that the singer had only performed for less than two minutes.
Omondi defended himself by claiming that the singer was only supposed to make an appearance at the club, while enjoying himself, and that it was not a mini concert.
“Kenyans have to understand the difference between a club appearance, or technical appearance, or a meet-and-greet and an after-party. They are not like a concert,” the comedian was quoted as saying.
“The artist is just there to chill and enjoy himself, nothing much. He wasn’t supposed to perform, Harmonize was coming to perform at KICC, they shouldn’t have expected him to perform,”
Apparently, chaos erupted after Harmonize appeared at the club for a brief moment before disappearing.
A majority of revelers who were at the establishment had paid an upwards of Ksh.5,000 for the VVIP tickets, for an event that had been hyped as ‘Freaky Friday with Harmonize Live, hosted by Eric Omondi’.
It was not yet clear what exactly the revelers had been made to pay for with a majority accusing the club of shortchanging them.
The aftermath of the chaos, according to Omondi, left the musician with injuries and his car vandalised.
