Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has disclosed details about an alleged initial power-sharing deal he had with Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna before they parted ways. In a recorded interview with a local media house on Friday, November 13, Babu revealed that they had agreed Sifuna would be the presidential candidate while he would serve as the party leader after leaving the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
According to Babu, the arrangement was also agreed upon by other members planning to leave ODM with them. However, he claimed that after the group left the Orange Party, the agreement changed without his knowledge, with some members pushing for Sifuna to take up the party leadership position instead. Babu stated that some members argued a presidential candidate could not run without also leading the party.
Babu insisted that both he and Sifuna needed room to grow politically. He added that having Sifuna as the presidential candidate and himself as party leader would have provided a way to hold the party accountable if Sifuna became President. This, he argued, would have secured his own position and provided a check on Sifuna's power.
Babu's remarks come weeks after he left the Linda Mwananchi Movement and joined Muungano Party, which was later rebranded as the Mwananchi Party. This move sparked speculation about a fallout with Sifuna, who had attempted to register the Linda Mwananchi Movement as a political party but faced a setback from the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP).
On Friday, November 13, The Equitable Party (TEP) officially rebranded as the Linda Mwananchi Movement party, giving Sifuna the vehicle through which he intends to pursue his political ambitions. Babu said his decision to seek a separate political path was driven by the need to protect his own political interests, arguing that one leader should not have to advance at the expense of the other.
Citing the impeachment of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Babu argued that politicians need their own independent party structures as security against shifting alliances. He noted that Gachagua himself admitted he would not have been impeached if he had owned his own political party. Babu emphasized that politics is about interest and that there is no way one person can grow while leaving the other behind.
Babu dismissed suggestions of competition between him and Sifuna, saying they are pursuing different political positions, with Sifuna eyeing the presidency and himself seeking the Nairobi gubernatorial seat. He maintained that he supports Sifuna's presidential ambitions, despite choosing to pursue his own political path as campaigns for the 2027 General Election gather pace.
Key points
- Babu Owino and Edwin Sifuna had an initial power-sharing agreement that changed without Babu's knowledge.
- Babu Owino left Linda Mwananchi Movement to protect his political interests.
- Babu supports Sifuna's presidential ambitions despite pursuing a different political path.
