Babu Owino accuses Sakaja of taking cartel bribes, questions DPP inaction
By Ndiritu Wanjiru, February 18, 2026Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino has slammed Governor Johnson Sakaja over what he termed as his inability to run the Nairobi County Government, accusing him of being compromised by cartels that have affected service delivery in the city.
Speaking at a press release in Nairobi on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, Babu Owino has accused Sakaja of incompetence and corruption, saying that he has been working with cartels and receiving bribes to pay for undelivered services.
“He is the biggest cartel. This is the man who has stolen the money from Nairobians, and you know, at one point, the DCI had recommended that this person be arrested, and the file is with the DPP. I don’t know why the DPP is sleeping on the file,” Babu said.
Babu, who has announced his bid for the position of the Governor in Nairobi in the upcoming elections in 2027, added that the Governor has received vehicles as bribes from the Cartels and these have compromised his ability to fight the cartels.
“These cartels are the ones who are funding the Governor, and the moment you are funded by these cartels, you cannot…. When he got into office, these cartels gave him around 3 Range Rovers. You have already been given three Range Rovers; you are now excited,” Babu added.
The outspoken legislator has further slammed the cooperation with the county government of Nairobi and the national government, terming it as hostile, unlawful and unconstitutional.
Babu opposed to Ruto-Sakaja Deal
Babu’s sentiments have come at a time when the decision between the county government of Nairobi and the National government has signed a cooperation pact worth Ksh80 billion, a move that has sparked debate, especially from the critics of the Ruto Regime.
The critics have argued that the move was unconstitutional and in breach of the constitutional requirement that the move be preceded by public participation to accommodate the views of the members of the public.