Renowned Congolese soukus cum rhumba Maestro Koffi Olomide has apologized to Kenyans after being deported on 23rd July 2016 for kicking one of his dancers upon landing at JKIA.
In a video seen by Pulse Live, Olomide owned up to his mistakes, stating that he is very sorry for what he did, promising that it will never happen again.
He went ahead to thank the Kenyan government for allowing him to come back to Kenya after what happened in 2016.
Koffi's Apology
“Jambo Kenya, this is Grand Mopao, Koffo Olomide, first I apologize, and sincerely I’m sorry for what I did wrong. Everybody affected by what I did, I apologized. I want to say thank you to the government of Kenya, because the government endorsed me to come back to the country. I missed Kenya so much, the country of my life. I miss you Kenya so much. Soon I will be in the Country to meet my fans one by one for selfie, and we will announce the date for the coming back for the King of Africa in Kenya. I sincerely apologize for what I did wrong. Thank you very much mu Lawyer professor George for what you did, for what you have done. I thank you the Kenyan Government for allowing me to come back again. I will be in Nairobi very very soon, I will be happy to talk with the media and then we announce the show of coming back. I love you and respect,” said Koffi Olomide.
The apology comes at a time the Ministry of Interior and co-ordination of National Government had issued a letter allowing the ‘Papa Ngwasuma’ hit-maker to come back to Kenya.
Koffi was in July 2016 deported aboard Kenya Airways flight KQ554 to Kinshasa after kicking one of his dancers at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi.
Deportation
His lawyer, Prof George Wajackoyah, protested saying the musician was “treated like animals” claiming the Kenya government had deported the musician and his dancers to Congo “even without their passports.”
Olomide was arrested at a local TV station and deported by Kenyan authorities following an uproar from Kenyans on Twitter.
Olomide's tribulations
Despite being given the green-light to perform in Kenya, the Grand Mopao has a long history clashing with the law. In 2019, he was barred from performing in South Africa following public outcry. In 2018, he was arrested in Zambia after he allegedly assaulted a photographer. In 2012, he was given a 3-month suspended sentence after assaulting his producer.
Video of Koffi's Apology