Octopizzo’s Kibra MP bid sparks 2027 buzz as the Nairobi-born rapper dives into politics with a pledge to uplift his roots amid post-Raila uncertainty.
Henry Ohanga, better known as Octopizzo and a product of Kibra’s tough streets, dropped the bombshell on November 4 during a lively community forum at the Olympic Primary School grounds.
The 38-year-old artist, whose gritty tracks like “Sijawahi Kufika” captured slum life struggles, framed his run for the Kibra parliamentary seat as a homecoming mission.
With opposition icon Raila Odinga’s sudden death in October shaking Kenya’s political foundations, Octopizzo called on residents to prioritise voter registration drives, spotlighting his Ohanga Foundation’s hands-on wins in schooling scholarships and clinic outreaches.
“Kibra raised me, broke me, and built me back. Now it’s time to give back with real power, not just rhymes,” he declared to cheers from a crowd of over 500, many waving handmade placards reading “Ocka for Kibra.”
The announcement lands in a vacuum left by Odinga’s passing, the five-time presidential contender whose Luo heartland influence extended deep into Kibra, a cosmopolitan enclave of 300,000 souls blending Somali traders, Luo hustlers, and Kikuyu entrepreneurs.
Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) had long dominated the constituency, with his son Raila Jr eyed as heir apparent before family feuds and party infighting muddied the waters.
Octopizzo, no stranger to activism, has laced his music with calls for equity since his 2013 breakout. Yet this leap from stage to State House corridors draws from his foundation’s track record; since 2018, it has funnelled KSh 15 million into 500 student bursaries and mobile health units serving 10,000 annually, per internal audits shared at the event.
“We’ve vaccinated kids against measles and mentored dropouts into tech bootcamps. Parliament is the next pitch to score bigger,” Octopizzo told reporters, his signature cornrows glinting under the afternoon sun.
Social media lit up like a gengetone beat drop, with reactions slicing between hype and side-eye. Supporters flooded his Instagram with fire emojis and testimonials. “From Kibra to the top! Ocka gets it – no suits, just solutions,” posted a fan.
Influencer Sheila Mwanyigha chimed in: “Finally, a celeb who built something real before the cameras. Rooting for this.” His foundation’s youth ambassador added a personal layer, saying, “He sponsored my Form One fees when Dad lost his job. This isn’t a stunt; it’s survival.”
Yet sceptics sharpened their pens. “Another musician playing politician? Remember comedian Jaguar? All talk, no walk,” sniped another fan.
Political analyst Mboya weighed in on TikTok: “Kibra needs policy wonks, not playlist kings. But his street cred could flip youth turnout, key after Raila’s void.”
Kibra’s political chessboard has always been fierce, a microcosm of Kenya’s ethnic patchwork where poverty bites at 60 per cent and gangs like Gaza prowl alleys.
Octopizzo’s entry pits him against ODM’s entrenched machine and potential Kenya Kwanza challengers eyeing President Ruto’s urban consolidation play.
He sidestepped alliances, focusing instead on manifesto teasers: free vocational training hubs, slum electrification grants, and anti-flood drainage projects to tame the seasonal Ngong River overflows that displace thousands.
“Register now, vote later. 2027 is our remix,” he urged. The rapper’s pivot mirrors a celeb surge in East African polls, from Uganda’s Bobi Wine to Tanzania’s Diamond Platnumz flirtations, but Octopizzo insists his is grounded.
Raised in single-parent grit after his father’s passing, he hustled as a tout before beats paid off, collaborating with heavyweights like Sauti Sol.
His 2024 album “Objects in the Mirror” tackled police brutality, earning a BET nod and deepening his cred among Gen Z, who make up 40 per cent of Kibra’s electorate.
With Odinga’s funeral dust settling and Ruto’s approval dipping to 32 per cent on economic gripes, Octopizzo’s Kibra MP bid could galvanise the restless. Will it fizzle like past star turns or ignite a fresh wave?