- Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has identified The Mwananchi Party as his political vehicle ahead of the 2027 General Election.
- He said he acquired the party after concluding that ODM would not support his bid for the Nairobi gubernatorial seat.
- Babu has proposed a coalition between The Mwananchi Party and Ukombozi People’s Party under the Linda Mwananchi umbrella.
- He said he supports Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna’s presidential ambitions and wants the two parties to work together while retaining their identities.
- The MP also said his main focus is now building support across Nairobi’s 85 wards as he pursues the governor’s seat.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has disclosed that The Mwananchi Party will be the political vehicle through which he plans to pursue his ambitions in the 2027 General Election. The lawmaker made the announcement while speaking to mourners in Nyakach on September 18, 2026, during the burial of teacher Jeremiah Kisero. He linked the decision to his long-running ambition to contest for the Nairobi governor’s seat. According to Babu, he chose to secure a separate party after deciding that the Orange Democratic Movement would not give him an opportunity to seek the position.
Babu said he first made the decision on February 10, 2025, following an ODM gathering at the Bomas of Kenya. He had expected the meeting to focus on former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s bid for the African Union Commission chairmanship. Instead, he said, party leaders endorsed Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja for another term. Babu said the development convinced him that he needed an independent political platform. He subsequently made several attempts to secure a party before eventually acquiring The Mwananchi Party early in 2026.
MP proposes alliance with Sifuna
The Embakasi East legislator now wants his party to work alongside Ukombozi People’s Party, which is associated with Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna. He proposed that the two outfits operate together under the Linda Mwananchi umbrella while maintaining their separate identities. Babu said such an arrangement would allow each leader to pursue a different elective position without creating unnecessary rivalry. His proposal places Sifuna’s presidential ambitions alongside his own plan to seek the Nairobi governor’s office.
“Sifuna ni ndugu yangu; sitamuacha nyuma; nitakuwa na yeye in solidarity. Tutasukuma Sifuna kama Presidential candidate; we form a coalition. Sifuna as Ukombozi Party Leader and Babu as The Mwananchi Party Leader,” he said.
Babu also rejected suggestions that differences over the political parties amount to a personal dispute between him and Sifuna. He said the two politicians are targeting different positions and can therefore cooperate within the same broader political movement. The MP maintained that he supports Sifuna’s presidential ambitions and has continued joining him at political events outside Nairobi. He explained that his participation in those activities was meant to support his political colleague rather than campaign for his own Nairobi seat in those areas.
While continuing to participate in Linda Mwananchi activities, Babu said he will spend more time in Nairobi as the 2027 election approaches. He recently indicated that he would miss some of the movement’s rallies because of programmes in the capital. His explanation was that his political campaign requires sustained engagement with voters across the city. Nairobi has 85 wards, giving the MP a broad grassroots network to build if he proceeds with his gubernatorial bid.
“I will attend some and may not attend some because of the programmes I will be having in Nairobi. I’m the one who is going to deliver it to Nairobians because they also know the work I have done in Embakasi East constituency,” he said.
Babu has presented his experience in Embakasi East as part of the case for his Nairobi ambitions. He says his political work in the constituency has given him familiarity with grassroots mobilisation and the city’s electorate. His current strategy is to extend that political base beyond Embakasi East and establish a presence across the wider county. The approach comes as politicians aligned to Linda Mwananchi continue discussions about how they will organise for the 2027 polls.
Babu said The Mwananchi Party was already in his possession before Linda Mwananchi emerged as a major political platform. He recalled that after acquiring the party, leaders within the movement later formed a four-member committee to examine possible political vehicles for the 2027 elections. Several parties were reportedly considered during that process. Some of the options, according to Babu, did not have full registration.
The political calculations changed after Saboti MP Caleb Amisi left the movement. Babu said this left his registered party among the available options for consideration. The situation became more complicated when another principal brought forward Ukombozi People’s Party, which is linked to Sifuna. Rather than treating the development as a personal disagreement, Babu has argued for an arrangement in which both parties can remain part of the wider movement.
The MP has also used his party to outline how he believes candidates should be selected ahead of the next election. Earlier in September, he said The Mwananchi Party would conduct competitive nominations and would not rely on direct nominations. He made the remarks during a burial ceremony in Nyalenda, Kisumu County. Babu said the party would seek to distinguish itself through what he described as free and fair nominations.
“We’re coming with a new party. This party will be democratic, and nominations will be free and fair,” he said.
Babu has also questioned what he sees as a change in the political culture that previously characterised ODM under Raila Odinga. He cited the party’s name when challenging its current approach to internal democracy. “The ‘D’ in ODM stands for democracy. Where is that democracy now?” he posed. His comments reflect his broader argument that his decision to establish an independent political vehicle was driven by the need to create room for his own electoral ambitions.
Babu’s proposed arrangement would allow The Mwananchi Party and Ukombozi People’s Party to operate as separate outfits while cooperating on a wider political platform. He has repeatedly stressed that his Nairobi gubernatorial ambitions do not prevent him from backing Sifuna for president. The proposal would therefore give the two politicians space to campaign for different offices while remaining politically aligned. It also offers a possible structure for the broader Linda Mwananchi movement as its leaders prepare for the 2027 election.
The next phase is likely to involve further discussions over party structures, nominations and the coalition framework to be used by the movement. For Babu, the immediate priority remains strengthening his Nairobi base while keeping his wider political alliances intact. His public endorsement of Sifuna also places their proposed partnership at the centre of his current political strategy. The two leaders will ultimately have to agree on how their respective parties can work together as the 2027 election approaches.
