'I regret!' Fans blast Koffi Olomide over Kisumu concert
The concert, which saw thousands of Kisumu residents - and other fans from all around the country - troop to the historic grounds for a night of music and dance, was soon turned into a discordant spectacle that saw many regret shelling out thousands of shillings in gate fees and other venue expenses.
Many who attended the concert have taken to various social media platforms, especially X, to register their disappointment and call out Congolese megastar Koffi Olomide for his overall performance and what they term as unprofessionalism from the Rhumba maestro.
Olomide, who was the night's main attraction, has been widely dragged by Kenyans on X, with many blaming him for the ugliness, discordance and on-stage recklessness which characterized the better part of his set.
Dispirited fans who attended the show at the 32,000-capacity stadium have blasted the "Papa Mobimba" hitmaker for robbing them of a good time by merely prancing around on stage, singing along to pre-recorded songs, failing to perform with his Live Band and spending his time on stage merely chanting and taking video selfies of himself.
"I paid Ksh. 5,000 for the VIP ticket only to watch a man I grew up admiring jump around the stage surrounded by 50 bouncers and taking selfies of himself!" Karen Wanjau, a disappointment fan, wrote on X. "He only danced for like ten minutes and then disappeared! That was the worst concert experience of my life!"
Someone else said: "I've never attended anything this chaotic ever! Even after being banned from performing in Kenya several years ago, you would assume he would be in his best behaviour. Koffi Olomide has, once again, insulted Kenyans and Kenya as a whole! I don't get why he still gets invited for shows in our soil."
According to various media reports, and to the Mzuqa Fest organizers, trouble started when the singer failed to arrive in Kenya on schedule - at least twice, pushing his arrival to the Saturday, the D-Day.
According an insider from the Mzuqa Fest ogarnizing committee, who spoke to Citizen Digital, Koffi Olomide missed his scheduled Wednesday flight, forcing him to push it forward to Saturday.
"It was all an airline issue, really. So, he missed his Wednesday flight, forcing him to settle for Saturday, the day he arrived - without his band," the source said.
"The idea was, his band was to travel via flight to Entebbe, Uganda and then come to Kisumu by road. At the Busia border, the band experienced some clearance difficulties which essentially delayed their arrival. They did, however, arrive in Kisumu on Sunday morning, way after the show had ended."
Back at the Jomo Kenyatta Kenyatta Stadium, fans started acting erratically after realising that Olomide had taken too long before hitting the stage.
Things soon spiralled out of control as angry fans surged towards the stage, chanting and voicing their disappointment, creating a tense moment of confusion, anxiety and anger.
Things ultimately came to a head after Benga star Prince Indah, a beloved act across Nyanza, finished performing.
"At that point, an elected MCA took to the stage and rallied the crowds, blaming Koffi Olomide for the delay and creating the impression that Koffi's team had robbed Kenyans," the source revealed.
Videos making rounds on X show Koffi Olomide making a chaotic entrance as tens of security men surround him. In the dramatic confusion, Koffi is also seen struggling to put back his jersey on as part of his bare torso can be seen as men jostle and elbow each other around.
Another video, taken by fans from different angles, show the singer holding his phone high, as he records himself incoherently chanting into the microphone - his Live Band missing.
"I've never felt so robbed. I can't believe I paid 15k to watch Koffi Olomide perform with a flash disk!" an irate fan wrote on X. "This is so unprofessional of him! He should be held accountable for his uncourteous behavior."
Cheney Chepkirui, yet another vexed fan, wrote: "Una save 15k for a live band only for an arrogant artist to show up with mediocre in the name of a show. Koffi Olomide had a job to do for Mzuqa Fest, but he completely failed to deliver. Arrived late, no live band, and still performed with a DJ instead. What a letdown!"
The Kisumu incident comes just days after Tanzanian Bongo star Diamond Platnumz failed to perform at the Furaha City Festival in Nairobi, despite being paid Sh19.3 million.
The "Comasava" hitmaker refused to refund the amount, citing unresolved disputes with the organisers and an unnecessary disruption from Kenya's Willy Paul for his failure to hit the stage.
On December 7, Jamaican reggae artiste Etana was also forced to cancel her show in Nairobi after it overlapped with Platnumz's performance.
In a statement, Etana alleged that someone was determined to ensure that her show was sabotaged,stating that she was informed the two events could not take place at the same time, as both were happening at same locations.
Taking to her X account, she wrote: "I am not happy about the sabotage and let me be clear I am not showing up at Platinumz show!! It's all good!"
Despite widespread condemnation from Kenyan fans, Koffi Olomide has not addressed the debacle, more than 24 hours later. He also has not issued a public apology or explained why his band couldn't travel with him, or at the very least, travel earlier so as to join him on stage.
"We are utterly regretful that the show turned out to be such a hot mess. We had made prior preparations to pull of a seamless show and despite doing everything on our end, and meeting all financial obligations, someone, somehow, failed to do their job right and honor their promise," a Mzuqa Fest representative said.
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