Tanzanian musician Sefu Shabani, popularly known as Matonya, has been arrested and charged with rape in Kenya.
The 43-year-old denied the charge when he appeared in court in the coastal city of Mombasa, Kenya’s Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has said in a statement posted on X.
According to the DPP, the court granted him bail – set at 500,000 Kenyan shillings ($3,900, £2,900) – and ordered him to surrender his Tanzanian passport.
The award-winning artist is beloved for his “bongo flava” hits. This is a style of music originating in Tanzania with lyrics in Swahili and romantic melodies accompanied by an urban beat – often influenced by traditional taarab music from the East African coast.
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