The Bomas Choir that sang amidst chaos: God used us to bring emotions down

During the event, the choir took center stage dressed in black and accessorized with the Kenyan flag.

They were forced to shift gears in the middle of their performance when chaos broke out, with members from both sides of the political divide wreaking havoc as the nation waited for IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati to announce the presidential results.

Safari Voices continued to sing alongside other bands present, attempting to calm the public by singing patriotic songs and hymns until calm was restored.

The band, led by director Kenneth Indiazi (also the lead singer), tells Citizen Digital what propelled them through the topsy-turvy moment, and how they ended up performing in the first place.

Indiazi begins by emphasizing that they are a choral group that also functions as a band. He goes on to say that he is the leader of a 22-member group that was formed in 2008.

"We come from different backgrounds, we have teachers, civil servants, company directors ranging from young to old members," he says amid a subtle smile.

Indiazi then delves into the details of the day they played a critical role as the country awaited the announcement of President Kenyatta's successor.

He claims they were hired by the IEBC to perform at the auditorium and that they were scheduled to perform from 10 a.m. until Mr. Chebukati stood at the lectern to make the announcement--which was supposed to happen at 3 p.m., but the unprecedented chaos caused the announcement to take place at 6 p.m.

Indiazi claims that despite the commotion, they were compelled to sing, and that the music served as'medicine' to alleviate tensions.

"On that day we were supposed to work from 10 until the time the chairman of IEBC comes to announce the results. But because we were there serving our nation we could not stop singing. Singing there was like medicine for the tempers that were going around there," he said. 

"We had to continue singing because we saw whatever was taking place there, the tempers had gone up, and its only music that can bring those tempers down and so we had to sing and we thank God because he used us to bring the emotions down."

He went on to say that their main goal was to keep spreading the message of peace through patriotic songs.

"And through our song which was speaking about peace, we kept on reminding those fighting that we need peace and not the throwing of chairs that was there. Elections come and go but Kenya will remain," he added.

Indiazi claimed that if it hadn't been for them, things would have gone much worse, in response to those who chastised them for their actions, claiming that they made the wait more agonizing.

"I assure you Kenyans appreciated what we did. If we were not there things would have been different," he said confidently. 

As a result of their admirable poise, Indiazi claims they have received numerous phone calls, some congratulating them on their outstanding work and others booking them to perform at at events.

"We are actually overwhelmed with phone calls, first of all thanking us for what we did  and secondly we have already been booked for functions. It gave us a marketing platform," he said.  

"Guys have also been calling us from Canada, America just thanking us and we perform in Weddings, funerals, gigs and anybody can invite us."