Kenya's popular celebrity bouncers

 

 

 

As a norm, they tour top international hot spots and get front row action to every exclusive event by virtue of their status as VIP bouncers either to top celebrities and other personalities or manning top events, writes GEOFFREY KORIO

 

A riveting atmosphere pierces the clear night, the music feeding everyone to the their hearts’ content. Amid all this hustle and bustle, four burly men decked in light green beefs make way towards a photo booth located in the non-VIP area. For that is where some eager fans are overly excited to take a few snapshots with their favourite star, who happens to be Octopizzo. He is sandwiched between the four men, as they control the assembled crowd that is slowly surging, a few weeks back during the just concluded Safaricom Live Machakos edition.

“There’s more than what meets the eye before we execute such action,” explains Costa, one of the VIP protection unit.

Ever cautious, he tries to make a clear path for the Number Nane rapper while the rest are coordinating the communication and procedures to be followed while at the photo booth to ensure a smooth and safe ‘mission’.

This VIP protection and event management security details play an integral part in handling the celebrity. In an industry that has grown into minting millionaires, whether it’s for the swag, a publicity stunt or for genuine protection, they have been a regular feature in celebville. It also comes as no surprise that corporates, event organizers and celebrities themselves are spending millions of shillings on security.

 

There have been different experiences from the interaction between these personal guards, who have been widely regarded as ‘bouncers’ for the better part of the entertainment history in Kenya, and the celebrities. The likes of Elisha Onaung’ala and Costa aka Ba Fabregas for instance have experienced special conditions from different people.

“I remember when Eto’o was in the country, he demanded that the rooms adjacent his should be occupied by armed personnel and that there has to be one guard standing in front of his door all night; such that when he decides to pop out, the first person he sees is the guard. Failure to adhere to such conditions would be costly on our part,” explains Elisha, as he surveys the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) courtyard before letting me in on a little secret that the World Cup trophy is coming to Kenya at the end of this month.

“There are other musicians who have guns and when they go out to party, they call us for security and safely store their guns because a scene might occur and they might be tempted to use the firearm, so there are some levels of trust that they have bestowed on us,” adds Costa.

A long-time personal guard of controversial musician Prezzo, George Otieno Mbory, sheds some light into this.

“I can’t complain with the interaction and experience I have had with celebrities,” says George.

He started off as a professional kick boxer before going abroad; he came back and started offering protection detail to Prezzo during his initial days in showbiz (back when he called himself CMB Prezzo). The constant interaction saw their relationship transform from that of an employer-employee to more of a big brother role.

“At times I would advise him on how he should conduct himself in public and what action he should take when in trouble,” he recalls.

Their interactions with many other celebrities has also brought with it diverse incidents, from being hit on by chics— both fans and celebrities— to keeping some of their employers’ best kept secrets. Some of them confess of hooking up with some of the popular female celebrities for one-night stands and quickies. However, they didn’t see the point of pursuing a relationship beyond that, no matter how much the girl came onto them.

“At times they get drunk during the events and some are married, but if she has found you attractive… why not?” quips one of the bouncers who wishes not to disclose his identity. Furthermore, they are even entrusted with the signatories and even passwords to bank accounts when the celebrities seem to be indisposed or busy and are in need of some urgent cash.

 

Their daily activities do not limit them to just the standing at strategic points and walking around the same place the whole night during the event. A few days prior to the event, they canvass the venue and coordinate with the event organizers, noting the entry and exit points for the celebrities for ease and secure access to the stage. Even the accommodation and transport logistics are handled by the VIP protection detail. Because of their vast experience some have taken the onus of handling the general itinerary and logistics regardless of the nature of the assignment.

“My clients need not worry about the day’s preparations because they have known I can deliver the services depending on the assignment,” explains George.

When faced with mishaps, there are certain protocols to be observed.

“If we get a puncture along the way, my client isn’t supposed to step outside until the next available means comes to the rescue,” affirms Elisha.

Jaguar, although not eager to divulge details about his security detail, adds that he uses coded language with his guards. The same happens between Prezzo and George.

“You might think he is scratching an itch on his head yet he is signalling that it is time to vacate the premises,” explains George. Moreover, even when confronted, they are ways to quell the situation while the client remains oblivious.  So stealth are their protocols in this matter that you can’t even notice that some have guns hidden in plain sight during the interview.

Growing with the industry they guard, the VIP protection service has become a source of income to most of the bouncers. George confesses that through his protection services, he has been able to take care of his family, buy a car and afford his living. The 6-foot, 95kg Elisha on the other hand, is an IT graduate who opted to pursue this line of work because he found it more lucrative.

During most showbiz events, the most of these bouncers belong to Radar Security and Group 4 Services (G4S), but they work together.

“If we get a client, there’s an agreement that Radar will provide security for the artistes while G4S will handle the security for the event or vice versa,” one of those involved notes.

However, while this may be the case, securing the tender and whatnot, several instances have arisen where experience is sacrificed at the expense of favouritism. But as George and Elisha point out that that is not the case and those are people who do not work hard.

“This is a networking opportunity for us and the more we expose ourselves to many clients, the more referrals we get and if they don’t work hard for they shouldn’t blame the rest of us,” justifies George.

In their trade, one has to be aggressive behaviour at times and this has led to allegations of steroid abuse. Daniel Ojala, has undergone military training and offered his services for seven years, protecting Shaggy, Donnel Jones, Nelly, 50 Cent and Anthony Hamilton quite recently.

This angle of VIP protection is far from the oft-quoted stereotype that clouds the image of these musclemen; from being perceived as school dropouts whose muscles are a compensation for their lack intellectual capacity to braving the insults that they get from rowdy crowds and inebriated clientele with phrases like ‘brawn instead of brain’. The brutes manning neighbourhood clubs, not these professionals, perhaps feed this notion.

Elisha acknowledges that this has been a challenge to them and they have put in place mechanisms to help curb this image problem, sentiments that Pascal Omondi, events manager and Terrill Peters the operations director at Radar Ltd concur. “Safety is the most important thing in any event and it becomes a hurdle when we have untrained people hitting the gym and pumping up their muscles and end up beating people or acting unruly. When people get hurt or killed because of this, there is some negative image associated with the brand. We don’t take the law into our hands when we come across pickpockets and drunkards. Instead we have holdup areas at the venue where we put them inside till the following day at 6am,” explains Terrill.