Top 3 Kenyan Stars Who Have Found it Rough in Politics

Politics has always been termed as a dirty game and a murky world. To the observations of many the dirty game has often lived to its billing.

Some of Kenya’s celebrated musicians and accomplished personalities started their political careers on the wrong foot.

The obstacles have proved intense to some leading them to shed tears as they sought the coveted political seats and all trappings that come with them.

Here are some of Kenya’s celebrities who have not enjoyed any hospitality in politics as they did in earlier careers;

1. Kevin Bahati

1. 1. Kevin Bahati is a prominent musician in Kenya best known for his achievements in gospel music.
   2. Bahati is a decorated artist having won multiple awards including the prestigious Groove Awards in 2015.
   3. A teary Bahati solemnly received the award and soldiered to cement his place in Kenya’s music industry.
   4. Following the massive success of his Eastlands Most Beloved record label, Bahati explored more ways of giving back to his community.
   5. One step led to the other until he recently found himself in the hotly contested Mathare Constituency parliamentary elections.
   6. Bahati was looking to join the likes of Joseph Haule (Profesa Jay) from Tanzania and Robert (Bobbie Wine) Kyagulanyi of Uganda, top musicians who made it to parliament.
   7. With the complex dynamics of the Azimio Coalition member parties, Bahati has now found himself in the cold.
   8. As a Jubilee candidate, Bahati was persuaded by Azimio’s top brass including Raila Odinga to step down and support Anthony Oluoch of the ODM party.
   9. A state job was dangled at him which he also rejected, which put him on a collision course with a friendly party in ODM.
   10. In an earlier interview, Bahati had shed tears beseeching the coalition leaders to intervene.
   11. The internal conflict escalated when Bahati seemingly walked out on Raila.
   12. A day later Bahati released a video claiming he had been roughed up by unknown people.

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2. Charles Njagua Kanyi 

1. 1. The honorable member of parliament for Starehe Charles Njagua Kanyi wears two gowns; a politician and a musician.
   2. In the entertainment circles he is known as Jaguar and his reputation as a musician precedes him.
   3. With hits such as Kigeugeu and Matapeli under his belt, Jaguar built a huge fan base across the country.
   4. His earlier challenges in elective politics mirror that of Kevin Bahati.
   5. Like Bahati, Jaguar was seeking the Jubilee nomination certificate to vie for the Starehe Constituency parliamentary seat in Nairobi.
   6. Like Bahati, Jaguar accompanied by his passionate supporters cried at Jubilee Party’s headquarters in Pangani.
   7. He alleged mischief in the award of the certificate. The villain then was incumbent Maina Kamanda who had been awarded the crucial document.
   8. After a brokered agreement by the party hierarchy, Jaguar got the certificate and went on to win the election.
   9. Jaguar moved on to the United Democratic Alliance led by Deputy President William Ruto after the dramatic split of the ruling Jubilee Party.

3. Mohamed Ali (Jicho Pevu)

1. 1. By the time he plunged into Mombasa Politics in 2017, Ali was the face of Kenyan investigative journalism.
   2. He was famed for his investigative series Jicho Pevu in which he presented to the full glare of Kenyans, massive scandals in the country.
   3. His well-investigated, authentic exposes earned him the reputation of an uncompromised journalist out to safeguard the public interest.
   4. Many were taken aback by his decision to move on to parliament, an institution that appears in Kenyans’ bad books.
   5. Jicho Pevu, as he was popularly known launched his career in politics as an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) MP aspirant for Nyali.
   6. In what turned out to be a vicious battle for the party certificate, Jicho Pevu cried foul and left the party in a huff.
   7. The Nyali constituency ODM nomination pitted Mohamed Ali against Said Abdallah who is a brother to governor Ali Hassan Joho of Mombasa.
   8. The contest saw Said Abdallah emerge victorious in an allegedly flawed process.
   9. Jicho Pevu argued that the Mombasa County Government machinery was deployed to secure Abdallah’s victory.
   10. According to him, the nominations were conducted by ODM officials who were also Mombasa County employees.
   11. Further, the majority of the polling stations in his perceived strongholds were opened later in the day, bringing out an element of voter suppression.
   12. In Ali’s submissions, governor Joho actively meddled in the nominations to secure his brother’s victory.
   13. Mohamed Ali appealed unsuccessfully within the party structures.
   14. Cast out in his ambition, Jicho Pevu jumped into the independent candidates’ bandwagon and ran for the seat.
   15. He emerged victorious in the general election trouncing the Joho family on their turf.
   16. Fulfilling his pledge of taking Jicho Pevu to parliament, Mohamed Ali did Dunia Gunia, a post-election investigative piece.
   17. He recounted the 2017 Kenyan general election murders, including that of Chris Msando who was an ICT director at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).