Why Jah Prayzah, Winky D show was cancelled at the 11th hour

Organisers of the "Best of Both Worlds" concert which was supposed to feature Jah Prayzah and Winky D have said they decided to cancel the show at the last hour due to time constraints.

The event was scheduled to take place last Friday at Rainbow Towers courtesy of local promoter Kayse Connect and Gateway Stream Music. It was postponed at the 11th hour leaving music lovers, some who were already at the venue and those who had bought tickets to watch online through pay per view (PPV), disgruntled.

Kayse Connect representative Elton Kurima apologised for the last minute cancellation and assured music lovers that the event would be held at a later date. Following the sudden cancellation with no proper reason, some started speculating that the event had been cancelled as the organiser did not have the requisite clearance.

"The event was not cancelled, but postponed. It (cancellation) had nothing to do with politics or clearance with the relevant authorities as everything was cleared. People should speculate with facts to avoid causing unnecessary alarm," Kurima said.

He said they cancelled the show because of time constraints due to the lockdown curfew.

"The show was scheduled to take place from 6pm-8pm as planned, but unfortunately, we had a series of meetings with various officials who were doing verifications on us and it took most of our time. When we finished the meetings, it was too late to start the event because it was a two-hour programme and we didn't want to exceed it because of the curfew time.

"We then decided to shelve the show to a later date since everything is now in place. I take the blame on the logistical part as that could have been avoided," Kurima said.

The organiser said he has since held a meeting with the artists and they have assured him that they are still available to perform.

"I spoke with both parties and they agreed to perform at a later date. Everyone was paid and we've lost nothing as of yet. Those who wanted a refund the very same day, were refunded while those who had faith in us agreed to wait. We'll announce the new date soon."

Without giving a new date for the show, Kurima said they will continue monitoring the Covid-19 pandemic and comply with all the health protocols.

Kurima said about 70 people had paid to physically watch the show while more than 2 000 had bought their tickets through pay per view.

According to the organisers, the show was supposed to attract 100 guests who were going to physically attend the event with the rest expected to follow proceedings online.

Moments before the show was cancelled, the stage was already set with the MCs already at the venue ready to host the show. Sadly some attendees who were already at the venue were told to go back home.

Some demanded refunds which they received immediately.