Inside story: Why Controversial rapper Prezzo was put behind bars

 Security guards at Nyayo Estate claimed that they caught him pants down with a lady friend in a car. A resident claimed that Prezzo tried to ‘hijack’ him on the fateful night. Police officers say he was intoxicated. Just what transpired before Prezzo was thrown behind bars? Photo: Courtesy

Controversial Kenyan rapper Jackson Ngechu Makini, popularly known as Prezzo, was on Thursday, expected to be charged with assaulting a Kenya Airways employee and causing disturbance.

The My City, My Town rapper was saved from being lynched by angry residents of Nyayo Estate on Saturday following a scuffle in which, he is accused of assaulting a Kenya Airways employee.

He was locked up at the Embakasi police cells on Saturday until Sunday — at about 6pm — when he was released on cash bail. Prezzo was to take a plea on Monday but police pushed it to Thursday to enable them finish their probe and enable the complainant, Stanley Kipchumba Kimoret, a flight engineer with KQ to file his P3 form.

Prezzo had been attending a private party at a court in the estate when he decided to leave. According to the estate chairman and popular blogger Robert Alai, when Prezzo arrived at the parking, he failed to locate his car.

“He walked to a motorist who had just arrived there and tried to bully him and demanding that he drops him in town prompting a confrontation,” said Alai.

Kimoret told police he arrived home and parked his car, but as he was offloading some items from the vehicle, he was confronted by Prezzo and two other men.

The three asked him to drop them in town but Kimoret declined, saying he does not operate a taxi as he directed them where they could locate one.

Kimoret said the musician tried to force himself into his car but he stopped him saying what he was doing was wrong. It was at that time, it is claimed, that he slapped him causing a confrontation.

Other witnesses joined and called security at the estate. The security moved in and contained Prezzo before calling police officers from the nearby police station.

Nairobi County police commander Japheth Koome said the musician was arrested at Nyayo Estate on Saturday following a scuffle and investigations into the incident had started.

“We will take further action as time goes by. Officers are still pursuing it,” said Koome. Other officials said there were talks to resolve the matter out of courts.

Sunday proved a busy day at the station as Prezzo’s friends and relative thronged the police station seeking his release. Some said the musician was unwell and needed to be attended to in hospital as part of efforts to have him released. Police said there was a complainant who needed to be consulted.

“Calls were made until the musician was released. The orders came from far above and that is Kenya,” said an officer there.

According to Embakasi Police station OCPD Appollo Onyonyi, this is not the first time the station is being notified about disturbances caused by the controversial rapper.

“We aren’t sure whether he lives here or only frequents this estate a lot. It is not the first time we have heard about complains of his disturbance here,” Onyonyi told Pulse.

“The complainant said he was assaulted but there were no guns involved, that was just some misinformed perception probably because people know the rapper carries a gun,” he noted.

“During the incident, the rapper was intoxicated and I think that was the genesis of the unfortunate action,” he added.

A security guard at Nyayo Estate claimed that they had found Prezzo and a lady friend having sex in the car adding that that was the genesis of the drama.

Meanwhile at the apartment where he had been on the night of the drama, residents refused to have it opened until police came and dusted it as part of the investigations.

Alai said they wanted to understand what happened at the court as part of their safety.

“The residents wanted experts to come and establish what transpired there. It is wrong because even police seem unable to handle such cases,” said Alai while, alluding there were “bad” events that occurred therein.

Prezzo is familiar with drama whenever he goes. In December last year, he was involved in a brawl with a man at Skylux after he invaded a table where a couple was seated.

In 2013 he was involved in a gun fight outside a popular club in Nairobi’s Westlands area. Police grilled him after he allegedly assaulted a Swiss military officer in the head with gun butt and holster.

The two are said to have been involved in an argument outside Aqua Bar over a parking slot after Prezzo had obstructed the military colonel from Switzerland.

The military officer is attached to Amisom and was headed to Ethiopia Saturday morning when the incident occurred. He was forced to cancel his flight and had to be treated in hospital.

It is not clear if Prezzo is a licensed gun holder.