DJ Katta once slept in a Mombasa jail for touting, disturbing the peace

Eugine Ojiambo Shiare, popularly known as DJ Katta, is a man of many faces. He does everything music including deejaying, producing, designing and he also is a radio host.

Having started his career under the tutelage of celebrated DJ Kalonje, he says at first, it was about sheer grit.

He tells us how he spent time in jail while trying to make an extra buck. "I had just started Deejaying when Kalonje secured a gig in Mombasa," he says.

Back then, they did not have enough money for a flight so they hired a 7-seater van, loaded their equipment and drove down to the Coast. "The van had Kalonje, the driver and I so we decided to carry a couple of friends."

The journey was uneventful but after the show, things went south. "Kalonje got an emergency call and he took a flight back and left us behind."

Despite the fact that Kalonje had left them with enough fuel to get back to Nairobi, the two decided to carry passengers like a matatu. They started filling the car with passengers to make a quick buck.

"We managed to get some passengers and we only had one seat left when all of a sudden the kanjo askaris appeared."

The dreaded kanjo could hear none of their pleas.

"Our car was impounded and we were whisked to a nearby cell. We were taken to court and charged with touting, disturbance and resisting arrest," he says.

Being new in the corridors of justice, Katta did not know what to do but his instincts told him to deny the charges.

"I didn't know that those were petty crimes and I would have walked free after parting with a small fine. I denied the charges but had to spend 14 days in remand then appear in court for the hearing of the case.

Luckily, we were given the option of paying a 5k cash bail.

Katta managed to raise the amount but his woes were not yet over. He says the guys in charge dragged so that offices would be closed before his paper was stamped. "I had to spend the night in a cell."