Nairobi News

Chillax

Tanzanian court releases jailed Kenyan music label executive


Founder and CEO of a Kenyan music label Candy and Candy Records Joe Kariuki has finally been released from Tanzania prison after close to two years behind bars.

Kariuki was released after he won an appeal against a seven-year sentence in a case he was accused of defrauding a Tanzanian businessman of Sh13.3 million.

Kariuki was arrested on July 2, 2017 and presented to an Arusha court to answer to the charges.

He was remanded in a prison in Arusha, but after falling critically ill, was transferred to Karanga Prison in Moshi to enable him access medical attention. He underwent four surgeries.

The fraud case dragged for a year and a half before he was sentenced to seven years in prison for fraud.

However Kariuki appealed the sentence and was released.

“While in prison I didn’t see any of my Kenyan friends coming to visit me. I was sentenced to serve a seven year jail term for obtaining wealth in false pretense. The person who accused me is not even Tanzanian but a business partner whom we differed and later teamed with other Tanzanian associates to frustrate me with this case.

“The case dragged for over a year and half before the ruling of the sentence. All this time I was in detention. I appealed and won after the accusers failed to provide proof. By the time of the appeal ruling, I had served three months of the seven years” Kariuki narrated.

Under Candy and Candy Records, Kariuki tried to revive the careers of several local and foreign artistes including Mr Nice, Baby Madaha, Top C, Hussein Machozi without success.

Kariuki founded the label with much hype, but after struggling to make a mark in the Kenya and regional entertainment industry,  switched to property investments and aviation.

Kariuki would later relocate Candy and Candy to Arusha and is currently in the process of setting up another office in Dar es Salaam.

He said hewon’t be getting into music business again anytime soon.

“I have decided to invest on property here in Tanzania. I tried doing that in music but nothing much was forthcoming I wouldn’t repeat the same mistake again” Kariuki added.