One of Africa’s biggest musicians, Koffi Olomide, has been arrested at his residence in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital Kinshasa. The Congolese rumba star was deported by Kenyan authorities on Saturday (23 July) after he allegedly assaulted one of his female dancers in the country where he had planned a concert.
The musician, who has a previous conviction for assault in 2012, denied the allegations after video footage of him appearing to kick one of his female dancers at the main airport in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, sparked outrage on social media.
The footage was first aired by the Kenyan TV channel, KTN News.
The singer has since apologised and asked for forgiveness for his “moment of madness” in a post on his official Facebook page.
“I profoundly regret what happened … it was a moment of madness,” Olomide, 60, said in an interview with Congolese national broadcaster RTNC, a link he attached to his Facebook post.
The star apologised directly to the people of the DRC – especially women and children – who he said may have felt “dishonoured by this behaviour”.
Olomide got a three-month suspended sentence in a trial on charges of “hitting and injuring” a Congolese producer in August 2012.
The reasons for his arrest on Monday are still unclear at the time of publication.
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