Social media influencer Aurther Mandela famously known to his fans as Xtian Dela has announced that he will not vie for the Westlands parliamentary seat in the upcoming general election.
Opening up over his decision in a lengthy video posted on his online platform, the YouTuber began by apologizing to his loyal fans who accorded him support and believed he would be the change Kenya needed.
āThe hardest thing for any man to do is to number one apologize and number two is to throw in the towel and just say Iām done. Let me start by apologizing. I just want to take this chance to apologize to each and every person who has been supporting me and believing we could actually fight for change and start change in this country, win Westlands and win the hearts of many young people. Get guys to vie and win. It is sad that I have to drop out. I canāt! Iām sorry to all of you guys,ā he began by saying.
The influencer went on to state that he is unfortunately unable to carry on with his political dream due to the circumstances that surround politics and the unwarranted backlash from haters.
āUnfortunately I canāt continue, I canāt lie to myself that I will vie and I will campaign and still do politics and win and change mindsā¦. Everything I had promised, I canāt deliver. I accept defeat and the reason as to why I am not vying is because I have accepted that I have been defeated because of these three things.
āNumber one is Iām broke. I discovered in this country you need money to vie, you need money to make change, you need money for people to vote for you, you need money for anything to move and to work and Iām young. So I donāt have money I wonāt lie to myself or say I will waste my life savings all these 15 years I have worked so hard I just go pour outā¦. I canāt do that,ā he said.
Xtian explained that most Kenyans are not ready for change hence his second reason to quit politics. According to the social media influencer, what most young people do is hate rather than talk about the issues that actually affect them.
āSecond reason Iām dropping out is because Kenyans are not ready for change. Kenyans are not fed upā¦You are not. If you guys were ready for change I think young people would stop hating and talk about issues that actually affect them,ā said Xtian.
Going on to his third reason, the former media personality revealed that since he made his political dreams known, he has been subjected to undeserved cyberbullying, something he admits has affected his online presence critically.
āThe third reason why Iām stepping down is because the cyberbullying is getting out of hand. It was funny when it started but now it has gotten out of hand to the point I canāt even risk putting my babyās face on the internet. Now Iām hiding everything about me because everything you see you are just hating,ā he went on.
BY THE STANDARD MEDIA
