Linda Mwananchi is facing its first serious internal test, and the problem is not President William Ruto or the Kenya Kwanza administration.
The emerging fault line is inside the opposition alliance itself, where ambitious politicians are struggling to reconcile a shared presidential project with individual political ambitions.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has made it clear that he is not prepared to surrender the political party he secured before Linda Mwananchi was formed, even as he strongly supports Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna’s presidential bid.
His position exposes a difficult reality that opposition alliances often hide until elections approach: politicians can agree on removing an incumbent while fiercely protecting the political vehicles they believe will secure their own futures.
Linda Mwananchi’s Political Vehicle Dispute Could Become Its Biggest Weakness ¶
The disagreement over which party should carry Linda Mwananchi into the 2027 elections is far more important than a dispute over a party name or symbol.
Political parties control nominations, electoral structures, and access to the ballot, making the question of ownership and leadership central to every politician seeking an elective position.
Linda Mwananchi has projected itself as a united opposition force, but its principals still have separate political ambitions and, in some cases, their own parties to protect. Babu Owino’s position has brought that contradiction into the open.
He had already secured a political vehicle for his Nairobi gubernatorial ambitions before the alliance emerged, meaning any demand that he abandon it would require him to trust a new structure with his political future.
If other principals approach the issue with the same caution, the alliance could face a prolonged struggle over power, nominations, and control before the 2027 campaign even reaches its decisive stage.
Babu Owino Built His Political Insurance Before Linda Mwananchi ¶
Owino’s insistence on retaining his party is rooted in a political calculation that began long before Linda Mwananchi was established.
He says his decision to pursue an independent political vehicle followed an ODM meeting involving Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja at Bomas of Kenya on February 10, 2025, which he interpreted as a strong indication that Sakaja had powerful backing for another term.
Owino says he had expected the gathering to be connected to former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s campaign for the African Union Commission chairperson position, only to find that the political conversation had also focused on Sakaja’s future in Nairobi.
The development, according to Owino, convinced him that his ambitions could no longer depend entirely on ODM.
He had already communicated his interest in becoming Nairobi governor, but he subsequently began searching for a political party that would give him greater control over his political destiny. Owino says he tried three times before eventually securing a party in early 2026.
That history explains why the Embakasi East MP is reluctant to surrender the party now. He did not acquire it as a temporary vehicle for Linda Mwananchi. He acquired it because he believed he needed political insurance for a gubernatorial contest in Nairobi.
Sifuna and Owino Face a Difficult Party Balancing Act ¶
The disagreement became more visible after Ukombozi People's Party emerged as another possible vehicle for Linda Mwananchi. Owino says he contacted Sifuna and met him at his office to discuss the competing political options and establish which party the movement intended to use.
According to Owino, Sifuna initially assured him that there was no problem with both leaders retaining their respective parties while working together under a coalition arrangement. Such an arrangement would allow Sifuna to retain his political vehicle while Owino protected the party he had already secured for his Nairobi campaign.
That proposal could offer Linda Mwananchi a temporary solution, but it also leaves major questions unanswered. Separate parties mean separate leadership structures, nomination processes, and political interests, and those differences could become explosive when candidates begin competing for the same seats.
The problem will become particularly difficult in Nairobi, where Owino wants to become governor while Sifuna is pursuing the presidency. Their ambitions can complement each other, but they also require competing political resources and grassroots mobilization.
Ukombozi Party Has Complicated Linda Mwananchi’s Calculations ¶
Owino says Linda Mwananchi had already established a four-member committee to identify a political vehicle for the movement, with leaders who controlled different parties involved in discussions about how those parties could potentially be consolidated.
Saboti MP Caleb Amisi was among those involved before leaving the movement, according to Owino. The committee was expected to find one political vehicle that could accommodate the alliance’s competing interests.
The emergence of Ukombozi People's Party appears to have complicated that process and raised new questions about who ultimately decides the political vehicle of Linda Mwananchi.
That question cannot be ignored because every principal has something to lose.
A politician who has spent years building a party is unlikely to surrender it without guarantees over nominations, leadership, and political influence. At the same time, allowing every principal to maintain a separate party could undermine the very unity that Linda Mwananchi is trying to project.
Babu’s Nairobi Ambition Could Test the Alliance Further ¶
Owino has also made it clear that his focus will increasingly shift towards Nairobi as the 2027 election approaches. He says he intends to mobilize voters across all 85 wards while continuing to campaign for Sifuna’s presidential bid.
That will place significant demands on his time and resources. Owino has already acknowledged that he will not attend every Linda Mwananchi rally because his gubernatorial campaign requires sustained attention across the capital.
The decision is politically understandable, but it creates another potential fault line. Sifuna needs a strong national campaign, while Owino needs an aggressive Nairobi operation, and other principals will similarly prioritize their own political bases.
Linda Mwananchi, therefore, faces a difficult test of whether its leaders can subordinate individual interests to a genuinely coordinated campaign.
Owino has maintained that his support for Sifuna is not in doubt and has called for Kalonzo Musyoka, Rigathi Gachagua, Fred Matiang'i, and other opposition leaders to join the alliance. But presidential unity alone will not solve the organizational questions confronting the movement.
Linda Mwananchi must eventually settle who controls its political vehicle, how nominations will be handled, and how competing ambitions will be managed.
The dispute over the Linda Mwananchi name before the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal adds another complication to an already delicate process.
The alliance can continue holding rallies and presenting an image of unity, but the real test will come when politicians have to decide who gets the tickets and who controls the machinery behind them.
Babu Owino has already made his position clear. He supports Sifuna for president, but he intends to retain his own political vehicle for Nairobi.
That stance may look like resistance to opposition unity, but it also exposes a bigger problem that Linda Mwananchi must solve: how do politicians build one electoral movement without demanding that they surrender the political insurance they believe will protect their own futures?
