DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua has urged Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino to close ranks and prevent emerging differences from splitting the Linda Mwananchi Movement.
Speaking during his ongoing tour of the United States, Gachagua claimed the disagreements between the two leaders were being fuelled by the government as part of an effort to weaken the opposition movement ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Gachagua said he had personally spoken to both Sifuna and Babu after becoming aware of the exchanges between their supporters and urged them to intervene before the differences escalated.
“I know there is a small challenge back home with Linda Mwananchi, supporters of Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino trading barbs,” Gachagua said.
“I placed a call to Edwin Sifuna, I had a long conversation and did the same with Babu. And I told them your Linda Mwananchi Movement is being infiltrated by the government and your supporters are falling for it.”
The DCP leader said he had asked the two politicians to meet and address their supporters, warning them against allowing their differences to weaken the movement.
“You must very quickly meet the two of you and tell your supporters not to fall for it,” Gachagua said.
According to Gachagua, the State had invested heavily in attempts to divide Linda Mwananchi, although he said Sifuna and Babu had agreed on the need to preserve the movement's unity.
“The State has invested heavily in dividing Linda Mwananchi,” he said, adding that the two leaders were “in agreement that they must do whatever it takes to remain united.”
Gachagua also said he had asked Nyandarua Senator John Methu to help bring the two leaders together and engage their supporters on the need to maintain unity.
“I have asked Nyandarua Senator John Methu to join them to have them quickly talk to their supporters not to allow Linda Mwananchi to break,” he said.
His intervention comes amid emerging tensions between Sifuna and Babu as both seek to strengthen their positions within the opposition landscape ahead of the 2027 elections.
Sifuna has increasingly emerged as the public face of Linda Mwananchi following his mobilisation activities in Nairobi and other parts of the country.
His growing national profile has also fuelled speculation about his presidential ambitions and his place in a possible opposition coalition.
Babu, meanwhile, remains an influential figure in Nairobi politics and has been involved in discussions around the formation of a broader opposition alliance.
The two leaders' supporters have recently traded barbs, raising concerns about whether their differences could spill over into the wider movement.
