Embakasi East MP Babu Owino with Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba, among other leaders, in Embakasi on August 24, 2025 /BABU OWINO
A silent yet vicious power struggle has rocked the Linda Mwananchi group, threatening to scuttle the nascent movement even before the race to State House begins properly.
The Star has established that Linda Mwananchi founders, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, have differed on key issues and will likely run on different political parties.
The details emerged after the movement’s mammoth city rally, which nevertheless exposed infighting, with accusations that Babu sought to hog all the limelight during the event.
Despite being at the centre of the mobilisation, Babu’s camp also feels Sifuna took all the credit.
At the heart of the fallout is the political vehicle the movement should use in the general election.
It has emerged that Babu has taken over the Muungano Party, initially led by former Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana, and rebranded it as the Mwananchi Party.
He is reportedly the party leader, with Siaya Governor James Orengo as patron. The youthful lawmaker wants the movement to use the party as its vehicle.
However, Sifuna has settled on the Ukombozi People’s Party, which is the rebranded United Democratic Party, initially led by former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo (deceased).
“Along the way, one principal joined us and came with the Ukombozi political party. I called Sifuna, we met at his office and asked him about the Ukombozi People’s Party. After that, there has been a little push and pull,” Babu narrated at a press briefing on Tuesday.
According to Babu, there was an earlier understanding that his party would provide the main political vehicle for Linda Mwananchi.
In a quick rejoinder, Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya told off Babu, insisting the movement will use the Ukombozi Party as Sifuna’s vehicle for the presidency.
“Ukombozi People’s Party and Sifuna will be the ones saving this country,” Natembeya fired minutes after Babu’s address.
In an apparent response to Babu following the weekend Nairobi rally, the governor maintained that no one should take credit for Nairobi because of its cosmopolitan nature.
“Nairobi is open to anyone who has the numbers. Ama tupige hesabu (Or should we do the math),” he said.
There have been clear political differences between Babu and Natembeya, especially during the Western Kenya tour.
At one point, Babu stormed off the stage after one of the MPs took the microphone from him.
“His [Natembeya's] work was to invite principals only and then hand over the microphone to me, but he wanted to conduct the whole show,” Babu later explained, saying the governor was not familiar with how they conducted their affairs.
Linda Mwananchi appears to be headed for a split into two political parties, with Babu openly advocating for a coalition political party to keep the team intact.
“If we want to be genuine with ourselves, we must have a coalition which covers various interests,” Babu said.
“He [Sifuna] was clear with me that there was no problem if we have a coalition as Linda Mwananchi so that he gets the position of the coalition party leadership and Babu Owino is also party leader of his party. He had no problem with that.”
The troubles in Linda Mwananchi appear to be compounding.
Orengo has also been pushing to fly the Linda Mwananchi flag, triggering confusion and friction within the outfit.
“I am not spoiling it, because I am committed to having one presidential candidate. Those who are raising these fears are not democrats,” Orengo said recently.
Yesterday, Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi called off, at the last minute, a press conference he had planned to respond to the apparent cracks in the opposition.
“He was called by one of the leaders and told to cancel it after Babu announced he was also going to address. He is meeting Sifuna and Orengo,” a source disclosed.
Speaking to the Star, Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale sought to downplay the tension, but hinted that Babu would have been ‘more hard-hitting’ in his briefing had it not been for an engagement he had with him.
“Yesterday, the first person I called was Babu, and I told him to lie low. That is why today, he toned down,” he said.
According to Khalwale, the perceived war in Linda Mwananchi is not among the leaders, but between their online supporters.
“The tension is not in our leadership. I’m a strong Sifuna supporter, but I called Babu and Orengo. The war is between their supporters online,” he said.
Sources familiar with internal discussions say Babu has also been increasingly uncomfortable with what he views as Sifuna taking disproportionate credit for the movement's growing popularity.
Babu is said to have complained that he has done much of the groundwork behind major rallies, including recent political mobilisations in Kisumu, Homa Bay and Nairobi, only for Sifuna to emerge as the face of the events.
The tensions became more apparent yesterday when Babu announced he would withdraw from some of Linda Mwananchi's nationwide campaigns to concentrate on his Nairobi governor ambitions.
“I want to shift my focus to Nairobi. I will still attend Linda Mwananchi rallies; I will not attend all the rallies, depending on the programme I will have in Nairobi,” Babu declared.
The lawmaker was addressing a press conference at his Nairobi office.
Babu narrated how a committee initially constituted to identify a suitable party for the movement narrowed down to his outfit after Saboti MP Caleb Amisi pulled out, while the other two options had not attained full registration.
However, the agreement appears to have hit a dead end, with Babu now pushing for a coalition arrangement that would allow his party to operate alongside Linda Mwananchi rather than surrendering its identity to a new vehicle.
“If we want to be genuine with ourselves, we must have a coalition which covers various interests,” Babu said.
To reinforce his point, the lawmaker argued that former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and former Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza were both impeached because they lacked parties of their own.
He argued that coalition politics was not new in Kenya, pointing to previous elections where major political formations came together under coalition arrangements to pursue common electoral objectives.
Despite the disagreement over the political vehicle, Babu sought to draw a line between the party dispute and his relationship with Sifuna.
He reaffirmed his support for the Nairobi senator's presidential bid, dismissing claims he had fallen out with Sifuna or was no longer backing his candidature.
“On my way forward, I will support Sifuna as a presidential candidate in Linda Mwananchi,” Babu stated.
Babu's intervention is likely to calm speculation that the disagreement over the political vehicle has widened into a personal or political battle between the two leaders.
However, his position threatens to open a new front in a movement that has been positioning itself as a major opposition force ahead of the 2027 polls.
The Nairobi governor hopeful also signalled he would increasingly concentrate on his own city-wide campaign, saying he would only participate in Linda Mwananchi activities when his schedule allowed.
