News
Premium
Ben Githae: From fishers of men to fishing for votes
Good music is known to mellow even the heart of the devil — as the case of King Saul of the Bible attests — and win votes as the case of gospel musician Ben Githae proves.
Whenever the evil spirit descended on the good moods of King Saul, David the harpist would be summoned to the palace and when he harped, the soul of the king would be refreshed and the evil spirits depart him.
Githae, a 44-year-old good-hearted, generous musician, has no problem meeting his friends even in bars, effectively acting as the fishers of men to the kingdom. He also fishes votes for his favourite political formations.
He has sang for the re-election of Jubilee Party, the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) and now wants to compose a song in support of a Raila Odinga presidency. A father of two daughters and twin sons, Githae is not treating this proposed Baba presidency as a laughing matter. He says that the remix to his famous Tano Tena, is what will propel baba to Canaan.
This time, it contains words like “ndani, ndani, ndani, to the State House, Mlima wote, Baba Tosha (loosely translated to… into State House, Mt Kenya we are all saying Baba fits the bill.”.
Mr Githae, whose other song include, “Tabia mbaya” (bad manners) does not hide the fact that he now sings more for the pay.
“As long as I am convinced that I will earn, I am good to go,” he has previously said.
That is why on May 14, 2017, he released the single “UhuruRuto Tano Tena” in which he successfully encouraged Kenyans to give President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto a second term.
He sang that he had spiritual visitation that the regime was godsend and the best fit for Kenya. When Chief Justice David Maraga and his Supreme Court bench chose to differ and ordered a repeat of 2017 elections, Githae would not let the decision stand in the way of his vocal cords.
He went back to the studio and released another song; “Wembe ni ule ule (UhuRuto again) — for the return poll — and it came to pass, Jubilee won the repeat poll after rival ODM boycotted the elections.
Githae started singing gospel songs in 1995 after working at his grandmother’s posho mill in Gatundu.
When Jubilee split into Kieleweke and Tangatanga factions, Mr Githae initially vouched for Dr Ruto. He could be seen accompanying the DP in tours and campaigns across the country,.
But when the President started to publicly criticise the hustlers narrative, Mr Githae listened to his masters. After all, the president is his village mate in Gatundu South.
“The president’s authority, wisdom and generosity outweigh that of Dr Ruto. I joined the handshake…I am now head over heels in love with Baba,” he says.
He now says that the gods have spoken and the message to be conveyed is that Baba is the chosen one for 2022-– the Githae magic. Now, we await the song
