Musician Kevin Bahati has come under fire after he used his high profile KSh1 million per head wedding to Diana Marua as an opportunity to announce his political ambitions ahead of the 2027 General Election.

The singer took to the stage at the Argyle Grand Hotel in Nairobi on Friday November 6, where guests had travelled to see him marry his partner of a decade. However, Bahati took the opportunity to announce he would be running for Member of Parliament for Mathare Constituency.

“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 said.

The news follows weeks of promotional material highlighting the event as a high profile exclusive wedding. Guests were said to have paid a hefty KSh1 million fee to be invited to the wedding for an exclusive 100 guests. The wedding was used as a way to drum up publicity for the big announcement as the musician revealed his political ambitions.

However, the announcement came as a shock to many on social media as some Kenyans questioned why the event was promoted as a wedding. The couple began promoting the event in October, to celebrate their 10 years together.

On October 7 the couple announced the big day would be on November 6 and Bahati revealed there would only be a 100 guests. This meant those wanting to attend had to pay KSh1 million for an invite, which quickly went viral on social media.

Bahati defended the high price, saying it was an exclusive event for high net worth individuals. The couple also released videos of them delivering invites to high profile personalities.

Those who were involved in the invite campaign include Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku, preacher Victor Kanyari, musician KRG the Don, forex trader Kenyan Prince, entrepreneur Phoina Tosha and businessman Simon Kabu.

It was reported Ruku confirmed he had an invite and Phoina bought two invites worth KSh2 million. The couple also announced there would be no cameras, independent media or live streaming. This added to the hype surrounding the exclusive event.

However, the event on November 6 took a turn as Bahati used the opportunity to announce his political ambitions. This led to criticism from social media users who felt the public were led to believe it would be a wedding.

Boxer and content creator Mbavu Destroyer, who attended the event as he had been given a sponsored invite, joked he would go and find himself a wife and ask Kenyans to help him pay for his wedding.

In his announcement Bahati said he decided to run in Mathare as he was born and raised there. He wants to ensure the people living in the area are represented by someone who knows their struggles.

“I was born and raised in Mathare. We have never had a leader born and raised in Mathare. It’s time to have a leader from Mathare who understands issues affecting them. Mgeni hajui kama mnakulanga strungi na ugali,” he said.

The announcement comes after Bahati failed to win the seat in the 2022 General Election. He ran for Mathare but lost to Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) candidate Anthony Oluoch.

The announcement puts him back in the political spotlight as political aspirants begin to position themselves ahead of the 2027 polls. However, Bahati has not yet given any details about his campaign manifesto and has not mentioned which political party he will run under.

The announcement also raises questions about why the wedding was happening as it was promoted as the couple finalising their 10 year relationship. The event will now be remembered for the million shilling invites and the political announcement.