Kivutha Kibwana: Why Babu Owino Turned Down Kalonzo's Offer to Become Wiper Deputy Party Leader

Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka tried to bring Embakasi East MP Babu Owino into his party's top leadership at the height of Linda Mwananchi's rise, but the legislator declined because he was already preparing to lead his own outfit.

Former Makueni governor Kivutha Kibwana made the disclosure while speaking about the apparent cold war between Babu and Senator Edwin Sifuna, the Linda Mwananchi leader and presidential candidate.

In an X post Sunday, November 15, Kibwana revealed the offer came when Linda Mwananchi was establishing itself and Babu was among its pioneer leaders after leaving ODM.

The MP had signalled his exit from ODM and announced plans to launch a new party. Kibwana said Kalonzo then offered the Embakasi East MP the post of deputy party leader in Wiper, but Owino declined.

"True, Kalonzo Musyoka offered Babu Owino the position of Deputy Party Leader. Babu Owino could not take it because he was already Party Leader of The Mwananchi Party. He respectfully thanked SKM for the offer," Kibwana said.

The party Kibwana referred to has a history that runs through him. He led the Muungano Party, which was rebranded as The Mwananchi Party (TMP) under Owino's leadership.

A Gazette Notice dated August 24 said the Registrar of Political Parties had been told that Muungano intended to change its name to The Mwananchi Party.

A later notice listed Babu as the party's current leader and Kibwana as its former patron.

Babu unveiled the party in September as his vehicle for the 2027 Nairobi governor race. He said Sifuna would front the Ukombozi People's Party while he led The Mwananchi Party.

He has said he offered to let the two parties work together as a Linda Mwananchi coalition, with Sifuna leading the coalition and him leading his own party.

The question of which party Sifuna should use became a flashpoint. 

Babu wanted Sifuna to run for the presidency on The Mwananchi Party, while Trans Nzoia governor George Natembeya preferred Ukombozi, but the latter had already been reserved by Kalonzo as a coalition identity.

Linda Mwananchi then endorsed Sifuna as its leader and presidential candidate at a September retreat. Sifuna would later unveil The Equitable Party after efforts to register the Linda Mwananchi movement failed.

Meanwhile, Babu has denied any personal rift with Sifuna. He says he supports Sifuna's presidential bid 100% and that their ambitions do not conflict, because he is vying for Nairobi governor and Sifuna for president.

He has, however, scaled down his role in Linda Mwananchi's activities to focus on the governor campaign, this after revealing that Sifuna failed to honour their initial agreement.

Babu said that Sifuna and he had agreed that the former would vie on a party where he (Babu) is the leader.

Kibwana also weighed in on the strain. In September he urged Linda Mwananchi's leaders to keep the movement free of ethnic politics and not let it fracture.

This time, he said the two politicians should work together and that anyone fuelling their division is failing the country.

"Those who try to estrange these two are enemies of Kenya and the future. Kenyans want one to be president and the other governor of Nairobi County. If anybody tells these two they are competitors and they believe it, then Babu Owino and Edwin Sifuna, you will have let Kenya down," he said.

The disclosure also shows how much both men are courted in an opposition crowded with presidential hopefuls. Kalonzo has said in the past that he has no problem supporting Sifuna for president.