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.
Matonya rose to prominence about 15 years ago and still performs across East Africa - especially his favourites such as Vaileti, Anita, Siamini, Taxi Bubu and Mapito.
