Gospel musician Ben Githae reconciles with former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua with a public handshake in Murang'a County on December 9, 2025.
In 2017, popular gospel musician Ben Githae divided public opinion when he deviated from his religious repertoire to release a political song in support of President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy, Dr William Ruto, during their re-election campaign.
As his political influence wanes, he seems eager to align himself with shifting political currents while safeguarding his popularity among his largely Mt Kenya fan base.
In the last six months alone, he has moved through three different political formations.
He was among Mt Kenya musicians who visited Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki at his official residence in Karen on May 23, 2025. He later attended the Jubilee Party National Delegates Conference in Murang’a County on November 7, 2025, where former President Kenyatta was the guest of honour.
Read: Sound and silence: Why Gachagua’s boycott musicians call revives ghosts of colonial censorship
Ben Githae performs at the Groove Party event which was held at Kasarani sports grounds in Nairobi on December 31, 2013.
On Tuesday, Githae was again in Murang’a, this time exchanging a public handshake with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua after years of silent hostility.
“Mr Gachagua, you know very well that I reformed and no longer carry issues around… I am here to assure you that I no longer belong to those wings that act against our collective interests,” he said while addressing mourners during the burial of Mr Herbert Kareithi, husband to Pellagiah Muthoni, in Matunda village.
Ms Muthoni is a member of Mr Gachagua’s Democratic for Citizens Party (DCP) and is vying for the Murang’a Woman Representative seat in the 2027 General Election.
Mr Gachagua thanked the musician “for seeing the light and realising that your music is irrelevant if it goes against the pulse of your target audience.”
In January 2023, Mr Gachagua publicly admonished Mr Githae, urging him to apologise to Mt Kenya residents for campaigning for the Azimio la Kenya coalition in the 2022 elections.
On Tuesday, Mr Gachagua added: “You should advise your fellow musicians to soothe us, remove stress from our souls and give us hope that, in the storm of oppression, we shall conquer.”
He also said that musicians could not expect to thrive in Mt Kenya if they sang the praises of leaders whom the locals viewed as adversaries.
Mr Gachagua revealed that he had reversed his earlier directive, which branded musicians who opposed regional political positions as traitors to be denied entertainment gigs and social media support.
“Because of Githae’s Damascus moment, where he is now speaking the language of our people, our musicians should be given a second chance, supported, embraced and treated as our gems,” he said.
Githae’s erratic political journey began in 2017 with his hit song Uhuru/Ruto Tano Tena, which became wildly popular in Mt Kenya but earned him criticism in opposition strongholds. After the Supreme Court nullified the election results, he quickly returned to the studio to record Wembe ni ule ule, asserting that the repeat vote would yield the same outcome —which it did.
Gospel artiste Ben Githae (centre) entertains guests during a past Azimio la Umoja campaign rally in Thika. Mr Githae has broken the silence after Azimio la Umoja defeat in August 9, General Election.
Ahead of the 2022 General Election, he followed President Kenyatta into the Azimio coalition and released a song declaring that Mr Odinga had “captured the Mountain.”
He now calls that move “a stupid mistake.”
“It was like I had missed my line of prophecy… The spiritual visitation had shown me that Mr Odinga would get a landslide in the Mountain but we were whitewashed,” he says.
Indeed, Azimio secured only 12 percent of the Mt Kenya vote, while Dr Ruto won 87 percent.
“When I prophesied that the Mountain belonged to Mr Odinga, the mountaineers asked whether I had my own mountain to give away. By their vote, they proved me wrong,” he recalls.
In May 2025, Githae attempted to release another political song, Kindiki ni wetu, but it immediately sparked public outrage in Mt Kenya.
“I was trolled. There’s a comedian who calls himself the online discipline master—Mzee Kinagy. He ‘put me in a sack,’ beat me up and added sound effects of a dog crying in distress,” he recounts.
The backlash forced Githae to issue a public apology.
“I said I was sorry. I realised I was not the problem, my decisions were. I have learnt to listen to the people. My fans are king, and I have resolved to walk with them,” he says.
It was in that spirit that he publicly reconciled with Mr Gachagua, marking the beginning of a working pact ahead of 2027.
Read: Two years after sweeping Mt Kenya off its feet, shaky relationship presents Ruto with 2027 dilemma
A screen grab from Ben Githae's Tano Tena song which was remixed to Wembe ni Ule Ule in 2017.
Githae claims that Mr Gachagua tormented him after becoming Deputy President in 2022.
“Mr Gachagua branded me a community traitor for associating with Odinga’s campaigns. He did not unite us under his success; instead, he fought us, humiliated us and incited fans against us,” he says.
The two last met at the funeral of Pauline Nyokabi, the sister of Moses Kuria, who was then the CS for Trade, and the tension between them was still evident.
However, Githae says that today, it is time to move on.
“For the sake of our collective unity and prosperity, we must remove bitterness from our lives and walk together as brothers and sisters,” he says.
The musician says that his foray into political music was not accidental, but rather driven by his personal friendship with the former President Kenyatta.
He told Daily Nation that they first met in 2011, as they are both from the same village in Gatundu.
He describes Mr Kenyatta as a close friend who appreciated his musical efforts:
“The two songs gave me a fat bank account since Mr Kenyatta appreciates a good effort. He summoned me several times, and I cannot complain.”
However, the 2022 election period was a nightmare.
“Dr Ruto was a friend to musicians, just like the president. The rift between them was confusing. The president supported Mr Odinga in the hope of achieving stability and prosperity, and that was my dream too,” he says.
He insists that, although he was friends with both Dr Ruto and Mr Kenyatta, the former president "is like a brother" to him and he naturally leaned towards him more.
With the 2027 general election approaching, Mr Kenyatta is supporting Dr Fred Matiang’i for the presidency, while Mr Gachagua has announced his own candidacy. Both men are part of the United Opposition, though there appear to be growing tensions.
It is this uncertainty, Mr Githae says, that has forced him to delay releasing any political song.
“One of an artist’s goals is to make money through their talent and remain in the good books of the market. You can sabotage yourself permanently if you misread the political mood. That is a lesson I have learnt the hard way,” he says.
Follow our WhatsApp channel for breaking news updates and more stories like this.
