Musician Kevin Bahati has declared that the Mathare constituency has suffered decades of slow development because it has never been led by an MP born and raised within the community.
Speaking during a live media interview on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, the artist detailed the drive behind his political ambitions, contrasting his roots in the informal settlement with what he termed “imposed” candidates.
“Mathare has never had an MP or rather a leader that is born, raised, schooled, bred in Mathare,” Bahati stated, emphasizing that high poverty levels require a leader with lived experience of the ground realities.
Bahati criticized the tradition of major political coalitions handing party tickets to outsiders simply to fulfill electoral quotas.
He argued that this habit leaves residents with representatives who have no genuine connection to their daily struggles:
Disconnected Leadership: “Because of political alignment, unakuja unaletwa unaambiwa there is a constituency hatuna candidate and that’s how we get our MPs,” Bahati explained.
Delayed Development: “After elections, huyu mtu anaanza kutafuta sasa nitaanzia wapi kwa hii slum. You don’t know the issues facing the youth, the issues facing the kids, women. That’s why development imekuwa very slow.”
Reflecting on his first parliamentary attempt in the 2022 General Election—where he finished third after securing 8,166 votes—Bahati admitted that while his decision was right, his political timing…
