We must clean up our gospel music industry
A couple of days ago, a woman in her early 20s unravelled the most grotesque sex scandal in the Kenyan gospel industry.
According to her story, she reached out to a gospel artiste known as ‘Hopekid’ and after a series of flirty messages, he invited her over to his house in Nairobi.
She came all the way from Nakuru, unbeknown to her that she was being set up for an orgy with another gospel artiste known as D.K Kwenye Beat.
The young woman would later ‘hook up’ with DK Kwenye Beat in a brief sexual encounter in which she contracted a sexually transmitted infection.
When the story broke, social media was awash with accusations and counter-accusations, forcing the two gospel musicians to come out apologising and begging for forgiveness from their fans.
Accompanied by fellow musician ‘Size 8’, the young men came clean and blamed the devil while Size 8 asked us to forgive and forget.
Kenya’s gospel music industry has moved from being the noble, upright and honourable cause it was in the days of Rueben Kigame, Mary Atieno and Esther Wahome, to become one of the most scandalous and shameful industries we have in this country.
GOSPEL SCANDAL
I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at the fact that Kenya’s gospel industry has more scandals and rot than the secular music industry.
What we have today is not a gospel music industry, but a modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah riddled with all manner of hypocrites purporting to sing for the Lord.
How we moved from Adamu na Eva to Asusu, Kanungo and Mateke should be reason enough to scare us witless.
We have famous and moneyed gospel artistes taking advantage of their young female fans, sexually abusing them and racking up baby mamas like trophies in a cabinet.
The other day, we had gospel DJ Mo wax lyrical about how he took his then girlfriend — and now wife — Size 8, through a series of ‘tests’ to see if she was any good for him. He said he did that because girls ‘worship’ him thanks to his massive success as a gospel DJ.
Now, the gospel couple is caught up in one of the most shameful gospel scandals in which their underlings, DK Kwenye Beat and Hopekid are accused of sexual misconduct.
SEXUAL MISCONDUCT
I don’t know who this concerns, but it is time to fix the Kenyan gospel industry.
It is time to bring some order to an industry that once brought us the likes of Jemima Thiong’o and Angela Chibalonza.
We cannot have every charlatan with dreadlocks, sagging pants and a pair of knock-off sneakers proclaim to sing gospel music, all the while living questionable lifestyles and admitting to sexual misconduct.
Yes, I am judging you. We hold you to a higher moral standard because of the message you carry — the gospel.
At this point, I would like to bring to the attention of the Director of Public Prosecution, the matter of these two gospel artistes: DK Kwenye Beat and Hopekid.
Mr DPP, we have these men on record admitting to subjecting a woman to sexual assault. If the young people of this country mean anything to the office of the DPP, then this office ought to personally take up this matter and have them arrested and punished severely for their crimes.
SERIOUS CRIME
Rape is a serious crime, and so is knowingly infecting another person with a sexually transmitted disease. I wish to implore the DPP to ensure that the young woman in question will be the last victim of these two young men masquerading as gospel artists.
They must be used an example of the consequences of sexual assault so that no other woman will have to go through what she was subjected to.
To Size 8: What you did was wrong and distasteful. I understand you are protecting your business, but you crossed a line here. Sitting down with a man who admitted to sexually assaulting a young woman and asking us to ‘forget’ the matter is the height of betrayal of your fellow womenfolk.
You should know better, Size 8, having been once a young woman navigating the music industry.
Coming across as a rape apologist is the last thing you want associated with the brand you have worked so hard to build. Be very careful.