When Congolese rhumba maestro Koffi Olomide landed in Kisumu over the weekend ahead of the much-hyped Msuqa festival that left rhumba enthusiasts utterly disappointed, he promised to deliver a memorable performance.
“I love Kenya, I love my job and I am not used to talking a lot and promising things. I prefer to act, to perform. (Kenyans) know me and I am sure they will go home happy,” Koffi said in his press conference in Kisumu.
But that wasn’t to be when the time came, causing an uproar among rhumba enthusiasts who had bought tickets that sold for Sh15,000.
The revelers had to wait until 3 am for Koffi to appear on stage and when he did, he spent less than 20 minutes on stage, not performing but rather hyping up the charging crowd as his hits played from an auto-tune.
It was clear from the start that he wasn’t going to perform, as he appeared on stage without his Quarter Latin Band, as is always the norm. Koffi never performs without his band, led by his partner Cindy, who was nowhere to be seen.
There were moments when the crowd got angry and almost disrupted the event as they demanded the Congolese to perform. This did not happen as the revelers accused the organizers of shortchanging them.
Speaking to the Nation, Jules Nsana, a Nairobi-based event promoter from the Democratic Republic of Congo, blamed logistics mishap for Koffi’s disappointing show.
According to Jules, Koffi’s band got stuck in Uganda after flight disruptions.
“They were forced to board a Uganda Airlines flight from the DRC to Entebbe after missing direct connections to Nairobi. From Entebbe, we decided to ferry the band by road to Kisumu to save time,” Nsana explained. While Koffi arrived on schedule after being booked on a Kenya Airways flight, his band faced challenges at the Busia border, arriving in Kisumu at 10 am the next day.
“We acknowledge the challenges and so we will organize another concert to put things right,” Nsana added without specifying when.
However, Kisumu City Manager Abala Wanga blamed the organizers and promoter, saying they were never made aware of the logistical problems.
“We were kept in the dark about the logistical problems. If we had been informed earlier, alternative arrangements could have been made,” Wanga said.
Wanga added that efforts are being made to organize a make-up show to compensate the fans and like Nsana he didn’t give any clear or tentative dates when the show will take place.