'Why I chose Raila Odinga', Ben Githae opens up on Azimio loss, scandals and more

The veteran singer, who became a household name in 2017 after recording the massive hit 'Tano Tena' song and subsequently, the sequel 'Wembe Ni Ule Ule', spoke to Citizen Digital on the motivation behind his support for Azimio's Raila Odinga, a man who he famously fought (albeit musically) in 2017.

"My friendship with Uhuru Kenyatta began way back in 2011 during this trips to the Hague. Back then, Mr Kenyatta and his team would use my song 'Mabataro' (My needs) and that's when our relationship started. Fast forward to 2017, Kenyatta tasked his team to sit down with me and craft the 2017 election anthem. In fact, I met the then-President at State House Nakuru, and later met with his men who now incorporated me into the 'Mbele Iko Sawa' faction, led by Moses Kuria," he said.

Mr Githae said that his friendship with President Uhuru Kenyatta eventually morphed into an unlikely alliance that saw him and Raila Odinga sit at the same table as they drafted the way forward for the Kenyan music industry.

Along with Raila Odinga, Githae says that he negotiated a fatter deal for Kenyan artists in the Skiza Tune platform, raising the-then payment plan to a much higher and substantial percentage.

"That's how I became acquainted with Raila Odinga. He was instrumental in the plight of Kenyan artists and the remuneration they'd get from Skiza Tunes. From there, our relationship blossomed and I ended up endorsing him for President in Mombasa earlier this year. That's when I coined the slogan 'Mlima wote Baba Tosha'. "

The gospel singer, who faced backlash for supporting President Kenyatta, especially from the aggrieved Kikuyu community, says that after he endorsed Mr Odinga, his fans came for his neck.

"They asked me, 'Kwani uko na mlima wako?'. Moses Kuria told me to answer them that I meant, 'Mlima wa ugali'," he recalls.

The singer also flatly refused to admit that he was paid by President Kenyatta for his musical services, preferring to say that, instead, he was 'given a token' for his services and insisted that composing 'Tano Tena' and campaigning for Mr Kenyatta was simply a friendly gesture and not necessarily a business transaction.

On the matter of gospel music scandals, the singer owned up to his own past mistakes but also asked that Kenyans be fair and kind to gospel singers whom he maintained are simply human and that attaining the moral standards set by the world is not easy.

"Everyone you see asking us questions about our scandals has done the same things they are accusing us of doing. It's only that their secrets are not in the public eye because they're not famous singers or celebrities. Our mistakes get amplified simply because of our social status. In any case, especially on the matter of circulating a gospel artist's nude videos and photos, my question would be, when I am sending you my private images, did I do it so that you also circulate them further? If I trusted you, why can't you maintain the trust'?"

Githae, whose new song 'Kwahitana Niguthonga' (If all goes wrong, you move on) says he is yet to meet with President William Ruto and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua but hopes the encounter will not be awkward.

He also asked the President to put on his Christian tenets use and not seek revenge as has been evidenced by a few of their "bitter" public rallies.