‘Kanungo’ hit composer Otieno Aloka arrested in Kisumu over vulgar lyrics

By Harold Odhiambo | 4yrs ago | 3 min read

Otieno Aloka's 'Kanungo' poster [Photo: Courtesy]

Popular Ohangla musician George Adinda also known as Otieno Aloka whose new song sparked an uproar on social media sites has been arrested in Kisumu. Yesterday, police County Commander Ranson Lolmodol confirmed the Friday arrest, adding that the artiste will likely appear in court on Monday.

"We have released him on a police cash bail on condition that he presents himself in court to face respective charges," said Lolmodol. "His song had lyrics that we believe are X-rated. I think he will have to defend himself in court."

The Kanungo hitmaker was detained by detectives moments after he honoured summons by the detectives and officials of the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB). He recorded a statement over the song that received a backlash over its vulgar lyrics that demean women.

On Friday, officials from the board led by Nyanza regional director Edward Koech said: "stern action would be taken against the artiste". According to Koech, Aloka violated a number of laws, including displaying audio content that is likely to corrupt the morals of children. The artiste is likely to face three main charges among them distributing and exhibiting unclassified content prior to classification as well as filming without a licence.

Previously, the board’s CEO Ezekiel Mutua criticised the song and said KFCB will ensure the artiste is brought to book. Mutua claimed Aloka had violated the provisions of the Films and Stage Plays Act Cap 222 in respect to content creation regulations. “The board is inundated with a plethora of complaints about an obscene Ohangla video that is promoting paedophilia and degradation of women,” said Mutua.

Last weekend, social media was awash with calls for the musician's arrest with politicians also hitting out at the artiste. In the video seen by The Standard, Aloka could be seen performing the song sandwiched between two skimpily dressed female dancers gyrating their bodies suggestively.

A backup vocalist kept repeating the alleged vulgar lyrics as Aloka’s band cheered him on. They were performing the song during a live session on his Facebook account. Moments after he shared the video, several people including Kisumu Woman Representative Rosa Buyu accused the artiste of promoting immorality.

“I speak as a mother to condemn in no uncertain terms the lyrics by Aloka,” said Buyu. “Demeaning women and using such vulgar language in a song that is open to a diverse audience in terms of age and sex is highly irresponsible!” She vowed to petition Mutua to ensure the song was pulled down from social media platforms.

Several other social media users also accused Aloka of promoting immorality in society to gain what they termed as “cheap fame”. “Aloka you lack self-respect #umeharibu live stream (you have soiled the Livestream channel),” posted one of the users. The Standard has learnt that hundreds of Facebook users had flagged the song asking the administrators of the site to pull it down.