By Prudence Minayo
Kevin Mbuvi, alias Bahati, is a flashy young Kenyan gospel musician. The 26-year-old is a veteran gospel musician and has won several awards including the best male artist Groove award. The dashing musician is a biological father to three children and is married to Diana Marua. Bahati is a true rags to riches story having grown up in a children’s home after losing his mother. The celebrated musician made history when he dragged president Uhuru to the stage and went on to sit on his chair.
Over the years, he has gained a massive social media following and rubbed shoulders with the big powerful personalities in Kenya and beyond.
Music Career
The first rising music star started his music journey in high school. During the 2010 National Music Festival in Nakuru, the young star made an impressive solo guitar performance. He then went ahead to represent his school St. Theresa Boys, Eastleigh at the 2011 National Music Festival, and won the hearts of many Kenyans with his vocals and guitar skills.
Young Bahati decided to pursue music to create a better life for himself. After high school, he collaborated with J Blessing and released his first hit song “Siku ya Kanza.” Other hit songs released by the artist are:
- Barua
- Mama
- Machozi
- Story Yangu
- Mapenzi
Net Worth
The singer’s exact net worth isn’t known but is estimated at 30 million. He lives a flashy lifestyle and here are some of the expensive things he owns:
An expensive bungalow
In 2018, the singer built an awesome bungalow for his family. In a radio interview, he spills the beans on the average cost incurred;
“Yea that house has some features that generate things such as cool air weather. It does not go anywhere below Ksh. 10 million.” The singers claims are justifiable considering how beautiful and classy the interior décor looks. Fans got a view of the house when it was featured in his reality show: “Being Bahati.”
Cars
The father of three has a good eye when it come to cars and he seems to favour German machines. The brands he owns can only be described as sleek, elegant and expensive. The cars owned by the singer are :
- Mercedes E class This Mercedes version has a 4-cylinder petrol engine with direct injection. The car has an acceleration of 0 to 100 per hour in 4 seconds and moves at a top speed of two hundred and sixty kilometers per hour. The four-door sedan must have cost the singer 8-9 million Kenyan shillings. The Benz also has a panoramic roof, leather interior, audio steering controls, fog lights, weather control, front and rear parking sensors, headlights washers and twin exhausts. He bought the 2010 model days after the successful launch of his reality show and posted it with the caption;
“Thank you Jesus for another blessing. Hawawezi bishana na me hata kama shuleni nilipata D.” The first car the singer ever bought was the older model of Mercedes E 200.
- Toyota Hiace Kevin Bahati owns a customized Toyota Hiace van with a wonderful sound system. The customized red van has his picture on the back and is used by him and his EMB artists during tours. The price and customization must have cost the singer a huge sum.
- Range Rover Diana Marua surprised her husband with an expensive range Rover for his 25th birthday. The range Rover has an acceleration of zero to 100 kilometers per hour and 7seconds with a speed of two hundred kilometers per hour. Diana took pictures of the 5 door SUV and shared it with their fans on Instagram together with the caption:
“ You always go over and beyond to make me feel special… you make it easy for me to love you! Words will beer be enough but everyday, be assured that you are everything I ever wished and prayed for.”
The car goes for 8 to 9 million Kenyan shillings.
Shoe collection Bahati is known for his casual dressing style that includes sneakers. He has a whopping number of them and hardly wears the same twice. The shoes include: adidas Nikes and airmax and they go for nothing less than 2k.
Jewellery
It is not a surprise to see many Christian and secular artists rocking expensive chains, rings and watches. It seems to be a symbol of wealth and a fashion statement. The same applies to Bahati who can often be spotted wearing gold chains or expensive watches. They probably cost more than some people earn in s month
EMB Record Label
Achieving success in the music industry is a great milestone even without owning a record label. Bahati has beat the odds, become successful and even established his own record label. Owing to his humble roots, Bahati decided to open his record label to provide a platform for upcoming artists to rise. Some of the popular names that started out at the label before exiting are: Weezdom, Mr. Seed, Rebecca Soki, David Wonder and Peter Blessing. The latest artist to be signed was Danny Gift.
Family
The award winning artist’s early life was not a walk in the park. Growing up, he had no family as his mother died and father abandoned him. He later traced his roots and found out his father relocated and remarried and he has a step-brother, Kioko. Together they visited his late mother’s home in Makueni County after a grueling search. There, they found his old grandfather and had an emotional reunion.
Social Work
The celebrated artist does social work in his free time. Obviously, he understands the challenges faced by people from low income backgrounds having lived that life. Once, he addressed a letter on social media to the president expressing the plight of poor people in the fight against cancer. He asked the president to put more chemotherapy machines in hospitals.
YouTube Earnings
Bahati Kenya estimated earnings by months
| month | estimated earnings |
|---|---|
| February 2020 | $ 2.61K |
| January 2020 | $ 1.9K |
| December 2019 | $ 2.3K |
| November 2019 | $ 1.94K |
| October 2019 | $ 2.93K |
| September 2019 | $ 2.84K |
Awards
The music star won the coveted groove awards in 2014 as the best male artist. People also nominated him for best video and collaboration. The Affrimma awards in Texas also named him the best artist in Africa.
