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Why Babu Owino’s gubernatorial bid is a headache to Raila, Ruto
07th October, 2025 07:00 AM
Caption:Why Babu Owino’s gubernatorial bid is a headache to Raila, Ruto. VIDEO/K24TV It is no longer a secret that Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino might run for the Nairobi gubernatorial seat under the Kalonzo Musyoka-led Wiper Patriotic Front Party in 2027.
He is becoming a serious contender whose ambition is causing ODM leader Raila Odinga and President William Ruto to shift uneasily in their chairs.
Also Watch: Babu Owino: Raila’s body language shows I won’t get ODM Nairobi governor ticket
Owino, who, despite maintaining much respect for the ODM, is now putting his longstanding idol in a tight spot. Will he stick to the broad-based arrangement and risk losing his long-term, staunch allies, or risk being perceived as unwilling to let it go?
The MP is not just causing ripples in ODM; he has been at the forefront against the wishes of many UDA-ODM pact supporters, bareknuckling Ruto over high taxation, cost of living, violations of human rights, and inefficiency in government.
While the Head of State hoped that the pact with Raila would make him possess the youth space, especially the demanding Gen Z, Owino has taken a different route, wooing the youths who are poised to make a bigger percentage of the voters in the 2027 contest.
Also Watch: Babu Owino says Sakaja deserves impeachment, faults Ruto and Raila for saving him
It is clear in every function that he attends, the rapport that he has established with the youth factor is slowly waning, Governor Johnson Sakaja, political vet in Nairobi, amid heavy scrutiny from both civilians and oversighters.
Is Babu a threat?
The legislator’s political future is no doubt that he will give a fierce ballot battle in the 2027 race, with polls showing he is the Gen Z pick for the county’s top seat.
Babu Owino might be in a revenge mode and show his might to the critics who have warned that ditching ODM will be his digging the political grave.
Incidentally, the ODM top honcho has shown signs of backing Sakaja if broad-based government is something to go by, therefore forcing the MP to seek an alternative route to cement his ambitions.
The move by Ruto and Raila to save Sakaja from the ouster motion irked a majority of Nairobi’s electorate, a blunder that played to the advantage of Embakasi East lawmaker.
At a time when government institutions are facing heavy scrutiny and with united opposition now having a person of Babu Owino, it is surely a big blow to Raila and Ruto as the youth equation remains the puzzle that will force them to solve.
It is a puzzle because the bigwings are asking: How safe is his grip on the youth vote? For the country: Is the next wave of leaders already here? And this is disrupting the game, hence scratching their heads.
