No luck for Bahati as he finishes third in Mathare MP race
News
By
Esther Muchene
| Aug 12, 2022
Singer Kevin Kioko aka Bahati finished a distant third in the hotly contested Mathare MP race that was won by incumbent Anthony Oluoch of ODM.
Oluoch garnered 28,098 votes and was followed by UDA's Billian Ojiwa who got 16, 912. Bahati managed 8,166 votes on a Jubilee Party ticket.
Earlier, Bahati had urged IEBC to speed up the tallying process as he expressed confidence that he would emerge victorious.
He also claimed that some ballot boxes had been tampered with.
"DEAR I.E.B.C We Need Answers!!! Everything is at Stand Still at The St. Teresa's Tallying Centre and We can Sense Rigging Plans.... TELL US WHAT'S HAPPENING!!!
"I have been waiting to be declared the winner and to be handed over the official certificate as the Mathare MP-elect," he wrote on social media.
Bahati's bumpy ride
Ever since Bahati tossed himself into the murky waters of politics, he has faced a number of challenges; from being asked to drop his parliamentary bid to claiming he was attacked by goons, and even breaking down in tears in public.
From the onset, he was convinced that he was the answer to the problems of Mathare residents but if the results are anything to go by, then they probably thought otherwise.
Mtoto wa Mathare, as he calls himself, had previously referred to Oluoch as a 'weak candidate, saying he would finish fifth or sixth.
"Anthony Oluoch is a very weak candidate. Akijaribu sana he will finish fifth or sixth. He has not helped the people of Mathare. Instead of fighting me he should go to the ground and find out what the people want.
"Mathare is where I was born and raised, it is the place that made me who I am. We have been wanting and crying for change. If I can do something to better the lives of people in Mathare, why not go for it. Mathare people are going through the same problems I went through more than 20 years ago," said Bahati.
Last week, he claimed to have spent over Sh30million to fund his campaign, a figure he projected would go up.
To justify his funding costs, Bahati claimed it would normally cost over Sh50million to campaign as an MP in Kenya.
Asked how he received his funding, he stated that most of his campaign money came from well-wishers, including his fans, friends, and his political party, Jubilee.
The singer also said he intends to vie for presidency in 2037.