Ben Githae recalls time he was blocked from campaign lineup over social media posts
By Steve Ireri, March 7, 2026Kikuyu gospel singer Ben Githae has claimed he was removed from a political campaign lineup in Nairobi after some leaders raised concerns about his outspoken social media posts.
Recounting the incident in a post shared on Facebook on Saturday, March 7, 2026, Githae said the events happened in 2022 when he, Samidoh and veteran musician Sir James were invited by a principal secretary to help mobilise artistes for a political event in support of Raila Odinga.
According to Githae, the artistes had already organised themselves and prepared a lineup for the campaign.
“One day in 2022, Samidoh, Sir James and I were invited by a PS to mobilise artists to go and campaign for Baba in Nairobi,” he said.
Githae explained that the group had brought together several musicians from different communities, and he had been chosen to coordinate the team.
“We prepared well and even had a list of artists. We brought together Kikuyu artists and others from different communities, and I was the team leader,” he said.
However, he said things changed on the day they were supposed to travel to Nairobi after he received a phone call instructing him not to attend.
“On the day we were supposed to go, I received a phone call and was told I should not go,” Githae recalled.
The singer said he later handed over leadership of the group to Sir James and reassigned other roles within the team.
“I told Sir James to take over as team leader and asked Karwimbo to serve as the MC,” he said.
Githae said he later sought an explanation about why he had been removed from the Nairobi event.
“I wanted to know why I had been stopped from going to Nairobi. I was told Nairobi was very sensitive and I could be heckled, which could damage the image of the meeting,” he said.
He claimed some leaders also linked the decision to his outspoken views online.
“They said I am very vocal on social media, and the ground could be hostile towards me,” Githae added.
The singer further alleged that some political figures accused him of attacking them online over the Azimio political coalition.
“Some leaders said I had attacked them on social media because of Azimio, so they felt I should not go,” he said.
Githae said the experience left him reflecting on the nature of politics and power struggles.
“In the end it became politics, not church,” he said.
He added that such experiences can make people believe they are insiders in powerful circles only to later realise they had already been excluded.
“You can think you are close to the pastor or bishop, but you later realise you are the one outside,” he said.
Githae concluded by saying the incident reinforced his belief that politics often mirrors internal struggles seen in other institutions.
“We used to say politics is not the church, but even in the church people are pushed aside and silenced,” he said.
