Captain Club owner, promoters had Harmonize arrested for collecting over Ksh400k and performing for 1 minute

Popular Tanzanian musician, Harmonize was in his pants and hiding under the bed when police arrested him in a hotel in Nairobi's Westlands.

Captain Club Director Joe Basil d the Bongo Star, whose real name is Rajab Abdul Kahali, had also covered his head in a hood.

"When police arrived to arrest Harmonize, the hotel staff told us he was not present. However, we forced our way into the room, and found him under the bed in old pants," Basil said.

Basil was speaking to The Nairobian on phone, explaining the circumstances that led to the arrest of Harmonize. He dismissed Sonko's remarks that Harmonize was summoned to Kileleshwa Police Station in Nairobi.

"Harmonize wanted to leave the country with our money after he refused to perform. We reported, and then went for him," Basil said.

The team, accompanied by the police officer, picked him up at the hotel and detained him at Kileleshwa and Kitengela Police Stations in Kajiado for some hours.

"The crime was committed in Kitengela, where Captain Club paid Sh450,000 so that he could perform there, but he was staying at a hotel in Westlands," Basil added.

Was Harmonize fixed?

Basil said he was approached by comedian Eric Omondi to pay Sh300,000 so that the Bongo star could perform at the Captain Club in April.

"I paid the cash immediately so that Captain Club, in Kajiado county, would be one of the places he would perform in the country," he said.

Basil adds that he invested in a podium, which was worth Sh1.2 million, and spent close to half a million to market the event so that it met international standards.

"On the final day in the morning, Eric Omondi asks me to add Sh 150,000 so that he performs. I had already invested in the event, and I was forced to send some more money," Basil added.

"The comedian told me that Harmonize has refused to perform unless I sent the cash. He gave me a number I was to send to, and I did."

Basil added that Harmonize performed for exactly one minute and 23 seconds at his property creating a security crisis.

"The patrons almost beat him up, and we had to enhance security."

We organised for his arrest the following day before he fled the country.

"We were told he was almost leaving, and we had to move fast."

Kilimani Police chief Mbogo Muturi told the media that Harmonize was detained for interrogation on obtaining money by pretense.

"We received complaints that he had not refunded money for shows he did not perform at and the organisers wanted their money back, that is why he was arrested," Muturi told the media.

Basil agreed with the police chief, saying that several clubs paid for Harmonize to perform but some people did not give him the whole amount.

"There were two contracts: one between Harmonize and the promoters and another between the promoters and clubs. We learned that the promoters had not given him all the money," Basil said.

Eric Omondi, who was among the people who went to bail out Harmonize, said the Bongo artist punched him, a claim the Tanzanian has refuted.

"He punched me and I have an injury on my lip. I was just trying to tell him to refund the money. I must file a complaint about this," Omondi told journalists at the station.

Omondi said that they gave him money but he refused to perform.

"I told him there is no need to fight because I gave him the money. I said let's go to Mombasa and do a show because you have been paid. You caused problems at Captain and I covered you. You even punched me," Omondi said.

But former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko downplayed the drama, saying that some people collected the funds from clubs but failed to remit to Harmonize on time so that he could perform.