From Rape To Kicking A Journalist: Here Are 5 Cases Against Koffi Olomide That Baffled The World

Congolese musician Koffi Olomide was on Saturday kicked out of Nairobi, just a day after he was caught on camera kicking one of his female dancers at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

This is, however, not the first time that the feted entertainer has hogged media headlines for negative reasons. Time and again, the Selfie hit-maker has exhibited irascible habit – and it landed him in trouble severally.

Citizen Digital documents five times Koffi Olomide was put on the spot for assault.

Kicked and broke journalist’s camera in 2008
In 2008, Koffi Olomide was accused of kicking a cameraman from DR Congo’s private RTGA television station and breaking his camera at a concert in the DR Congo capital, Kinshasa, following disagreement over recording rights.

In the end, the speaker of National Assembly stepped in to resolve the dispute, brokering reconciliation between the star and owner of TV station.

Assaulted former producer Diego Lubaki in August, 2012
Koffi Olomide was on August, 2012 given a three-month suspended prison sentence for assaulting his producer, Diego Lubaki.

Olomide was arrested in August 15, 2012 after a fracas at a hotel in Kinshasa.

The altercation with Diego Lubaki was over a debt of 3,000 Euros (Ksh330, 000), the court heard on August 16, 2012.

The court convicted Olomide of assault and battery but acquitted him of malicious destruction to property, after the hotel room door was damaged in the fight.

Allegedly assaulted Zambian journalist in December, 2012
Koffi Olomide kicked Lusaka based freelance photo-journalist Jean Mandela in the face at the Taj Pamodzi Hotel during Koffi’s concert in Zambia in December 29, 2012, with the journalist reporting the matter to the police amidst much publicity.

Zambian authorities announced that an arrest warrant had been issued after Mandela reported the matter and submitted a medical report.

However, no legal action was taken against Koffi Olomide as police closed the docket against the musician.

Instead, the blame was laid on Mandela.

Olomide and his promoters attempted to dilute the damage done by the musician’s alleged violent act when he filmed an apology that ran alongside adverts that promoted Koffi Olomide’s another concert in Zambia that took place at Mulungushi Conference Centre on August 1, 2014.

Charged with rape in August 2012
A French judge charged Koffi Olomide with three counts of rape and illegal confinement after three of his former backup dancers filed complaints against him.

Olomide’s lawyer Manuel Aeschlimann said a former dancer had filed a complaint in 2006, and that two years later two more dancers followed suit. One of the plaintiffs was a minor at the time of the alleged sexual assault.

Mr Aeschlimann said the case against Olomide was “empty and hollow”. He argued that the women filed the complaints in the hopes of obtaining temporary French residency permits.

Assault on his dancer in Nairobi in July, 2016
Koffi Olomide baffled many when he descended on his dancer, identified as Pamela, with kicks after he touched down at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Friday morning.

Koffi was irritated by Pamela who allegedly fell out with his lover Cindy Le Couer.

Cindy, a Congolese female singer with an impressive vocal range, started dating Koffi Olomide, her boss, in 2012.

In an interview on Citizen Television Friday night, Olomide denied he assaulted Pamela. Instead, he said he was defending her and other dancers from an alleged pick pocket.

Koffi Olomide was slated to perform at Bomas of Kenya on Saturday, July 23