NAIROBI, Kenya- Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has disclosed an arrangement he says he reached with Linda Mwananchi Movement presidential aspirant Edwin Sifuna, explaining why the two politicians are pursuing separate party vehicles ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Speaking during K24TV’s Grind & Glory interview, Owino said the pair had initially agreed that Sifuna would seek the presidency while he would serve as party leader, before the political arrangement changed.
He said they later settled on a model in which each would lead a separate political vehicle while working towards a common political objective.
“Different vehicles, one destination,” Owino said, describing the understanding he said was reached after his party was no longer selected as the main vehicle for the Linda Mwananchi movement.
The initial deal
Owino said he had begun plans to form a political party while he was still in ODM, after concluding that securing the party’s nomination for the Nairobi governor’s seat would be difficult.
According to the MP, Sifuna later joined him in the wider opposition movement after experiencing his own frustrations in ODM.
He said the original understanding was for Sifuna to become the movement’s presidential candidate, while Owino would assume the party leadership role.
However, Owino said the plan changed after other leaders argued that a presidential candidate could not be separate from the party leadership.
The Embakasi East MP said he did not see a problem with the two leaders building independent political bases, arguing that their ambitions do not clash because Sifuna is pursuing the presidency while he is seeking to become Nairobi governor.
“There can’t be competition between Babu and Sifuna,” Owino said, maintaining that the two positions are different.
Party vehicles and political interests
Owino said he remains a stakeholder in the Linda Mwananchi Movement despite having his own party vehicle, insisting that the decision was not driven by a supremacy battle with Sifuna.
Instead, he described politics as a contest of interests, saying leaders must protect their political futures while still working towards a shared cause.
He also suggested that having separate parties would give both leaders room to grow politically and reduce the risk of one leader being sidelined after an election.
Owino cited the experience of DCP Leader Rigathi Gachagua, who has previously argued that having a party would have strengthened his political position during his fallout with President William Ruto.
The MP, however, did not disclose whether the arrangement with Sifuna has been formalised through a written coalition agreement or whether the parties will field joint candidates in all races.
The interview also did not include a response from Sifuna on Owino’s account of the arrangement.
Nairobi bid remains intact
Owino used the interview to reaffirm his interest in the Nairobi governor’s race, saying his record in Embakasi East — including road, water and school projects — gives him confidence that he can manage the capital.
He said his campaign would focus on service delivery, job creation, drainage, healthcare, water supply and dealing with what he termed cartels in Nairobi.
His remarks signal that, despite questions over party leadership and political vehicles within the wider opposition, Owino intends to keep his focus on the Nairobi contest.
At the national level, he urged opposition leaders to settle on one presidential candidate, warning that a divided opposition could hand President Ruto an advantage in 2027.
“If they don’t pick one person, we are doomed,” Owino said.
The interview places Owino and Sifuna’s political relationship at the centre of the evolving opposition conversation, with both leaders now seeking to balance individual ambitions with the push for a united front against the Kenya Kwanza administration.
