Oparanya, Khalwale clash over Koffi Olomide visit

By THOMAS MATIKO

Kakamega governor Wycliffe Oparanya and former senator Bonny Khalwale have clashed over Lingala maestro Koffi Olomide’s planned tour of the county.

While the Congolese artiste’s visit to the country is shrouded in controversy, Governor Oparanya has said he is ready to host the musician next week during the Devolution Conference.

In an interview with a local radio station on Friday, Oparanya said all systems are in place with regards to the conference and that the only remaining thing is the guests’ arrival.

“When we were planning for the conference, I got numerous requests to invite Koffi Olomide. They said they wanted a popular artiste, like Olomide, to entertain them during the event. You know our people really love Rhumba,” Oparanya said.

But in a separate interview with the same radio, former Kakamega senator Khalwale voiced his resentment to the idea of inviting a foreign artiste at the expense of local musicians.

“They should divide the huge sum of money among our local musicians in Kakamega. We have very many local artistes who can entertain guests at the conference,” he said.

Among the renowned artistes from the region whose names Khalwale has flouted as possible replacements for Olomide are Emmanuel Musindi of the Sena Lwanyi (Step Out) fame, Jacob Luseno and Sukuma Bin Ongaro.

It has been reported that Koffi will be paid Sh23 million by Kakamega county government to perform at the Devolution Conference slated for April 24 to April 26.

However, the Congolese crooner’s return to the country remains in doubt following his deportation two years ago for kicking one of his female dancers at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.