Bahati to challenge Sakaja in 2027 Nairobi gubernatorial contest
Musician Kevin Kioko aka Bahati says he will challenge Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja in the race for the seat come 2027.
The crooner made the announcement at an event at the Zetech University in Nairobi.
He even promised students he would first join them for his undergraduate degree.
“Mnajua nilianguka MP lakini juu nasimama governor nakuja hapa kufanya degree. (You know I did not succeed as an MP but since I will be contesting for the gubernatorial seat I will come here to pursue my degree.)”
Bahati’s political career started in 2022 when he secured the Jubilee Party ticket to contest the Mathare Parliamentary seat.
However, things took a messy turn when he faced immense pressure to withdraw from the race.
It all became too overwhelming for Bahati, who, while speaking to the media, broke down and pointed fingers at the Azimio la Umoja coalition for their decision to support ODM’s Anthony Oluoch for the position. In a tearful plea, Bahati appealed to then-President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga, asking them to give him a chance to run for the seat.
“I respect you, my president, and I respect Raila Amollo Odinga, but please, give the youth of this country a chance. I understand there is zoning, and Mathare has been designated as an ODM stronghold, but just this once, grant the youth of this country an opportunity. Allow the people of Mathare to choose the leader they’ve always desired,” Bahati stated at the time.
Despite the challenges, he continued to contest but ended up at the bottom of the list. Oluoch secured a commanding lead with 28,098 votes, followed by Billian Ojiwa of UDA, who came in second with 16,912 votes, while Bahati only managed to garner 8,166 votes.
He would then go silent for close to two months without a single post on his social media after the parliamentary bid loss.
Feeling let down by what he perceived as a ‘betrayal,’ Bahati left the Jubilee Party and joined President William Ruto’s party, UDA, a move confirmed by its Secretary-General, Cleophas Malala.
“Bahati mtoto wa mama has officially defected from the Jubilee party and now he is officially a member of the UDA,” he stated during a presser.
Others leaders who have expressed interest in the Nairobi gubernatorial seat in 2027 include Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi and his Embakassi East counterpart Babu Owino.
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