Harmonize freed after four-hour hotel detention over unpaid bills
Top Tanzanian artiste Harmonize was on Sunday afternoon finally allowed to check out of an Eldoret hotel after being detained for close to four hours over unpaid bills.
Harmonize was to perform on Saturday night at the ‘Chaget Festival’ held at the Eldoret Sports Club Grounds, but differences with the promoter over unpaid performance fee saw him refuse to perform.
The musician spent the better part of Sunday at Starbucks Hotel where our sources said he had been detained alongside his four other companions over unpaid bills.
“He spent the night in a room worth Sh16, 000, while the other four slept in different rooms worth Sh13, 000,” said the source.
ABANDONED BY PROMOTER
The five were unable to settle the bills after they were abandoned by their promoter.
Interventions by Harmonize’s Kenyan friends saw him and his team released around 1pm.
“I can confirm that he is being cleared to fly on a separate airline after he was rescued by some of his Kenyan friends. We shall now deal with Shado Event Initiative CEO Douglas Obobe Maini who was behind the entire event,” said Fly TriStar head of marketing Donald Kigali.
Harmonize is said to have boarded a Fly 540 plane since Fly TriStar does not operate on Sundays.
He later posted an apology to Eldoret fans on his Instagram page.
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Confusion and chaos had reigned at the venue of the highly publicized ‘Chaget Festival’ on Saturday night after Harmonize failed to perform.
FANS LEFT DISAPPOINTED
The more than 5, 000 music fans were left disappointed after the celebrated bongo flava artiste failed to perform.
Nairobi News has since established that the artist refused to perform demanding to be paid in US dollars despite pocketing a huge down payment.
Eldoret South Police boss Wilson Abduba, while confirming the incident, said that his officers managed to quell the agitated crowd that had started to destroy property at the venue.
“We had ‘Chaget festival‘ on Saturday which was to run from 6pm-6am and things were smooth until 2am when more than 5, 000 fans attending the event started demanding for Harmonize to perform. Reports we have indicated that there was disagreement on payment,” Mr Abduba told Nairobi News in his office.
“We have arrested the organizer and owner of Shado Events Douglas Obobe Maina who is assisting us in carrying out the investigations. My officers dispelled the angry crowds who destroyed tents, plastic chairs and later on, blocked the Eldoret-Kapsabet road as they burnt tyres,” he added.