Singer Bahati faces new hurdle in Mathare bid

ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, during a joint delegates meeting of ODM and Jubilee on Monday, said that its candidate Aluoch is preferred to run for the seat and Bahati, who was seeking the seat under a Jubilee ticket will step aside.

Sifuna said that since Bahati has been axed from the race, he will be offered an alternative position in the Azimio-One Kenya outfit upon winning the August polls.

"Our colleagues from Jubilee will be presenting their candidates from eight constituencies and those from ODM will present some from eight constituencies," said Sifuna.

"Zoning was done perfectly even here in Mathare we have agreed that its an ODM zone. We only have one candidate in Mathare and that is Anthony Oluoch, this young man called Bahati is my younger brother and we will talk. I will make sure that we find him another position within the Azimio government."

Ministry Of Public Service, Youth And Gender Affairs Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Rachel Shebesh, who was also in attendance, asked Bahati to shelve his ambitions. 

According to Shebesh, even Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi had shelved his ambition in order to support Igathe who is now the preferred candidate for Nairobi governor race under Azimio.

" We have talked with Bahati several times asking him to work with us in the lager government. Bahati you are not even at  the level  of Tim Wanyonyi who dropped his bid to be Nairobi governor, " Shebesh said.

The latest comes after the Azimio Coalition Council Meeting chaired by MP Junet Mohamed set up a committee on Friday to harmonize and rationalise the candidates in areas where multiple candidates are likely to cost the coalition party seats.

However any decision on weak candidates who step down for the strong ones must not hurt the presidential votes. The committee will present its report to the coalition council tomorrow.