Bahati to Finally Deliver Ksh. 1 Million Reward to Harambee Stars for Morocco Win
Singer Kevin Kioko fondly known as Bahati has addressed growing public pressure to fulfill his Ksh. 1 million pledge to the Harambee Stars following their 1-0 victory over Morocco in the African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2024 on Sunday, August 10.
Bahati and his wife, Diana Marua, had promised to reward the national team with the amount if they triumphed in the crucial match at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani. The couple’s offer was made ahead of the fixture, with Bahati stating he would deliver the cash immediately after the final whistle.
On Sunday, August 10, Kenya secured the win, sending fans into jubilation and reminding Bahati of his public promise. However, when no immediate handover took place, questions and criticism began flooding his social media platforms.
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In response, Bahati posted a video stepping out of his lavish mansion, holding stacks of cash he claimed amounted to Ksh. 1 million. Wearing a Harambee Stars jersey, he explained that the delay was due to strict CAF (Confederation of African Football) rules barring him from accessing the changing rooms after the match.
“I promised to gift Harambee Stars players KSh 1 million. I’m not very rich, but this gift must get into the hands of the players themselves. Because of CAF rules, I couldn’t access the changing rooms on Sunday. I’m a man of my word, let me call Mariga so I can take this money to the players,” Bahati said in the clip.
The video showed Bahati calling Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Vice President McDonald Mariga to request official clearance. During their conversation, Bahati voiced his frustration over mounting fan pressure, stressing that he had to follow FKF protocol before delivering the funds.
Mariga informed him that the team was on a short break and would resume training in a few days, promising to notify him when they reconvened. He also asked whether Bahati wanted to hand over the money in the dressing room or on the pitch to which Bahati opted for the training ground to avoid procedural breaches.
In a lighthearted moment, Bahati joked, “Naweza kasirika nilete ikiwa Ksh. 3 million.”
Captioning the video on his social media pages, Bahati wrote: “AHADI NI DENI!!! Just from a phone call with the FKF Dep Chairperson McDonald @Mariga77 and he has allowed us to go hand over the 1 million KSh to Harambee Stars players. As the C.E.O of Bahati.Bet, I am committed to supporting the Stars until we win this CHAN.”
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