Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has rejected reports that former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua asked him to give up his bid for the Nairobi governor seat and run for the county's Senate position in 2027 instead. In a social media post, the lawmaker called the reports fake news and said he is still in the race to succeed Governor Johnson Sakaja, according to The Star, Kenya.
"My unworthy opponents have given up and are now banking on fake news. Hii Nairobi ilienda kitambo sana," Babu said, as quoted by The Star, Kenya. He also said the governorship contest would come down to a matchup between him and his other political identity, Paul Ongili.
The reports surfaced on October 21. They claimed Gachagua had urged Babu to rethink his gubernatorial plans and aim for the Senate seat instead, with the proposal tied to talks on how opposition parties might divide elective positions while making room for the ambitions of their leaders. The same reports said Gachagua was supporting Embakasi North MP James Gakuya for governor on a Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) ticket.
Why it matters
The exchange highlights the friction inside Kenya's opposition as it tries to present a united front against President William Ruto in 2027. Opposition leaders have been holding joint political events and negotiating over candidates, but agreeing on who contests which seat — and under which party — remains unsettled. Nairobi, the capital county and a major political prize, is where those tensions are most visible.
Babu's insistence on running under his own Mwananchi Party adds another complication. The Star, Kenya reports that he wants the party to field its own Members of the County Assembly in the Nairobi County Assembly, a goal that would be harder to achieve under a shared opposition arrangement. His stance could frustrate efforts to coordinate candidates in a county where several politicians are already positioning themselves for different seats.
A crowded field and competing tickets
Gakuya's expected candidacy on a DCP ticket sets up a possible head-to-head with Babu, who has said he will run on the Mwananchi Party ticket. The Standard reports that the Nairobi race is already crowded, naming Babu, Sakaja, Aladwa and Winnie Odinga among the figures in the frame ahead of 2027.
Babu has also spoken publicly about leaving the governor race after meeting Gachagua, an account covered by Kenyans.co.ke. His latest statement, however, rejects any suggestion that he could be persuaded to switch seats, and he framed the reports as the work of opponents rather than a genuine negotiation.
The Senate proposal, as reported, was linked to broader discussions about how opposition parties could share out positions. Such talks inevitably raise the question of which party fields a candidate for a given seat — a question The Star, Kenya notes could become a major point of negotiation as the opposition moves from joint appearances toward actual electoral arrangements.
For now, Babu's position is unchanged: he says he is contesting the Nairobi governorship, and he says he will do so under his own party. Whether the reported proposal from Gachagua was ever made, and whether it is still on the table, has not been confirmed beyond the October 21 reports that Babu has now publicly dismissed.
What to watch
Watch whether Gachagua or his office responds to Babu's dismissal, and whether Gakuya formally declares for the Nairobi governor seat on a DCP ticket. How the opposition resolves its candidate lineup in Nairobi — and whether Babu's Mwananchi Party stays outside any shared arrangement — will shape the contest ahead of the 2027 General Election.
