Editor's Review
The race for the Nairobi governorship continues to attract more candidates, with Public CS Geoffrey Ruku being the latest to declare his bid.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has ruled out withdrawing from the Nairobi governorship race in favour of Embakasi North MP James Gakuya in the 2027 general election.
He says he wants to beat his rivals at the ballot rather than see them step aside.
Babu, who leads The Mwananchi Party and intends to contest on its ticket, also pledged to resign within a year if he fails to deliver as governor.
He promised to confront the cartels in the county's garbage, water and roads sectors.
His remarks come as pressure builds in the opposition camp for a single candidate.
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Gakuya is the candidate for the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), and Babu has appeared to court support from DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua, who has insisted that his party will field candidates across Nairobi, with the governorship as its main focus.
Asked whether he could drop out for Gakuya, Babu dismissed the idea and presented himself as the clear front-runner.
"How do you step down in a race that you are already winning? You are already a lion, and these other people are tortoises; they are still crawling. How would you step down? I don't even want them to step down. I want to defeat these people because I have hope Nairobians will punish these people once and for all," Babu said.
His stance sets him against a crowded field.
Governor Johnson Sakaja has defected from the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) to the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and says he will seek re-election on its ticket.
Kasarani MP Ronald Karauri joined UDA days after Sakaja's departure to contest the party's ticket for the seat.
He was unveiled as the party's Nairobi gubernatorial aspirant on November 9. KANU spokesperson and veteran journalist Tony Gachoka has also declared his bid, promising to tackle corruption and dismantle cartels.
Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku has said he will seek the UDA ticket. ODM Nairobi branch chairperson and Makadara MP George Aladwa is also in the race for the ODM ticket.
In the face of growing opposition, Babu pitched himself to voters as a development-minded leader, appealing for their trust in safety, property and livelihoods, and attaching a timeline to his promise.
"Babu is development-orientated, Babu is going to work for you, and Babu is going to change your life. I want Nairobians to trust me with their children, to trust me with their property, and I want Nairobians to trust me with their lives. I'm going to bring serious change in Nairobi within one year. If I don't perform, I will resign; I will not even wait," he said.
The legislator serving his second term as MP pointed to his record in Embakasi East as proof that he can deliver.
He said students' union members who worked with him had told him they had never seen a student leader like him. He argued that having managed a constituency, he could manage the capital.
Babu turned to the cartels that many Nairobi residents blame for inflated costs and poor services in the county. He said he knew the networks operating in the garbage, water and roads industries, and that he would deal with them while insisting on strict procurement procedures.
"When it comes to cartels, the only time a governor will not finish cartels is if the governor becomes part of the cartel. In the cartel industry, we know those in the garbage industry, in the water industry, and in the roads industry. We know these cartels in every industry. The procurement rules shall be followed; the law shall be followed. If you are awarded, please do the work. Complete your job. You will be paid. I don't want to have the pending bills," he said.
His pledge on payments speaks to a long-running complaint from suppliers and contractors over delayed settlement of county debts, commonly referred to as pending bills.
He quit ODM to come up with his own political outfit.
