KENYA: Lingala Legend Koffi Olomide and Dancers Deported After Night in Kenyan Jail

Kenyan authorities on Saturday morning deported legendary Congolese musician Koffi Olomide and his dancers after they spent the better part of Friday night in Police custody.

This was following the incident outside the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) when the 60 year-old singer was caught on camera kicking one of his dancers.

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The incident caused outrage all over social media with many Kenyans demanding retribution towards the singer saying he should be deported from the country.

It did not help Koffi’s case as some law makers joined the crusade demanding his deportation.

On his defense the singer took to his Facebook page where he put out a statement in French saying he was only trying to stop a girl who wanted to fight the dancers I came with but denied ever kicking her.

This however didn’t stop the flood that was to come with the singer and his dancers taken into police custody soon after they left the Citizen TV studios, where they were engaged in an interview on Friday night.

They spent the night in police custody and were later taken to JKIA where they were put on a plane and taken to the DRC capital of Kinshasa.

The musician’s lawyer Prof George Wajackoyah, was however not pleased with the authorities handling of the singer as he reportedly said they were “treated like animals” and claimed that the government deported the musician and his dancers without their passports.

He also pointed out to the fact that there had been no complaint filed by the alleged abused dancer.

The incident at the JKIA however is not the first of its kind for the singer who in the past has had rub-ins with the law.  

In 2012 he was convicted in DRC of assaulting his producer and received a three-month suspended prison sentence, while earlier in 2008 he was accused of kicking a cameraman from DRC's private RTGA television station and breaking his camera at a concert in Kinshasa.

Now only questions linger after Koffi’s deportation with some asking if he will seek to sue the Kenyan government for his alleged ‘mishandling’ and others asking if Kenyans overreacted to his actions.

But for now only time will tell.

SOURCE: BBC

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