Nairobi, September 17 — Political leaders are moving to mediate escalating tension between Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, as a rift within the Linda Mwananchi movement threatens both politicians’ electoral ambitions heading into 2027.
At the centre of the disagreement is which political party the movement should field candidates under. Babu, who has his own registered party, has been pushing for the rebranded Mwananchi Party as the vehicle for the 2027 elections. Sifuna had initially gone along with the arrangement but is said to have reconsidered after another leader introduced the Ukombozi People’s Party (UPP) as an alternative.
Babu has argued he needs Members of County Assembly he controls in Nairobi, pointing to past cases of impeached leaders left exposed without party structures behind them. He has floated converting Linda Mwananchi into a coalition party instead. Sifuna, for his part, needs Babu’s grassroots mobilisation networks and his pull with young voters to power his presidential ambitions.
The dispute took a fresh turn after Babu announced he would scale back his participation in Linda Mwananchi rallies to concentrate on his Nairobi gubernatorial race, a move seen as a signal of a potential fracture within the movement.
Political observers warn the two leaders face a relationship of mutual dependency that neither can easily walk away from: Sifuna needs Babu’s mobilisation machine, while Babu needs the wider Linda Mwananchi platform to build city-wide support for his own bid.