Bahati dismisses claims he sidelined Mathare residents at Sh1 million event [Photo;Bahati/Facebook]
Musician Kevin Bahati has defended his Sh1 million wedding invitation event after facing criticism for using the highly publicised gathering to announce his bid for the Mathare parliamentary seat in the 2027 General Election.
Speaking during an interview with media personality Oga Obinna, Bahati defended the choice of venue and guest list, dismissing claims that he had sidelined Mathare residents.
“Okay, nipe hoteli moja Mathare ningefanya event,” he said, challenging critics to identify a hotel in the constituency that could have accommodated the function.
Bahati also maintained that Mathare residents were represented at the event, saying he had been deliberate about the guest list.
“I had invited 100 people only. Over 40 were from Mathare,” he said.
At the highly publicised event held on Friday, November 6, at Argyle Grand Hotel in Nairobi, Bahati took to the podium and formally announced his political ambitions.
“I want to announce, and I want to make it official, that I, Bahati Kioko, will be vying as the next Member of Parliament for Mathare Constituency,” he declared.
His announcement attracted criticism from Kenyans, with questions raised over the cost of attending the event, the guest list and the decision to hold the function outside the constituency where he hopes to secure votes.
Media personality Ademba Allan was among those who criticised the event, questioning why Bahati had restricted attendance to invited guests instead of opening it up to Mathare residents.
“So you want to be the MP of Mathare and you are launching your bid for Mathare MP seat and it's invite only. And the people who get to attend pay 1 million to attend that function. And your voters are not invited,” Allan said.
He further questioned the presence of wealthy guests and celebrities, arguing that many of those invited did not live in Mathare.
“Most of the people invited at your function are not even residents of Mathare. Some of them live in Runda, Loresho, Lavington, Kitisuru, Karen,” he said.
The backlash followed weeks of publicity by Bahati and his wife, Diana Marua, who had presented the November 6 gathering as a wedding celebration to mark 10 years together.
On October 7, the couple announced that only 100 guests would attend, with each invitation reportedly costing KSh1 million. They also shared videos of invitations being delivered to prominent personalities, fuelling public anticipation.
Bahati is making a second attempt at elective politics after losing the Mathare parliamentary race in the 2022 General Election, when he contested on a Jubilee Party ticket against ODM's Anthony Oluoch.