Babu Owino challenges ODM leadership, warns of youth protests over rising costs
By Kenneth Mwenda, November 15, 2025Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has openly challenged the leadership of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), insisting he has the capacity to lead the party and warning that rising living and education costs could push Kenyan youth into the streets.
Speaking during the commemoration of two decades of ODM in Mombasa on Saturday, November 15, 2025, Owino addressed party members and youth, signalling his readiness to take a more prominent role in the party.
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“To Baba the great, we want to tell our people to rise up. Rise with courage, rise with conviction, rise with strength, to fight because we know that we are stronger than our oppressors,” he said, referring to the late party leader Raila Odinga.
Owino said the youth would mobilise through protests if the cost of living, school fees, or commodity prices continue to rise.
“Baba, today, if living costs go up, we will go for protests, whether people like it or not. If school fees increase, we will go for protests. If commodity prices rise, we will go for protests,” he warned.
The MP also directed a pointed message to ODM leaders who have, in his view, sidelined him.
“Yesterday I saw our leaders in ODM being given positions. Congratulations. But let me ask: Did you look at me and decide Babu Owino is not fit for leadership? Think about that. As a youth leader, I respect you, but in future, Babu can lead the party,” he said.
Owino’s statements come months after he acknowledged he might not receive the ODM ticket to contest for Nairobi governor in 2027. Speaking to Kameme TV in September 2025, he said he had noted the party leadership’s preference for another candidate, pointing to Governor Johnson Sakaja’s endorsement by Raila Odinga at a prayer event in Bomas.
Despite this, Owino expressed loyalty to Raila, calling him his political godfather, and said he would continue supporting the party.
“I am sure that I will never be given the ODM ticket, but I will respect Raila even though all my plans are in God’s hands,” he said.
Owino eyes ODM leadership
In late October 2025, ODM leader Oburu Odinga assured Owino that if he wins the party nominations ahead of the 2027 elections, he would receive the gubernatorial ticket for Nairobi. Oburu emphasised that the party’s nomination process would be transparent and encouraged all aspirants to contest openly.
Owino has been positioning himself as a potential successor in the party’s leadership, signalling his interest in shaping ODM’s future. He has criticised Sakaja’s leadership, claiming the governor has failed Nairobi residents, and suggested that anyone supporting him could be receiving inducements.
The ODM party recently held its 20th anniversary celebrations in Mombasa, where Oburu Oginga was ratified as party leader. Other senior appointments included Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir, Kisii Governor Simba Arati, and Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi as deputy leaders.
With Raila Odinga’s passing, the party is undergoing a leadership transition, and Owino appears ready to assert his influence among the youth, warning that failure to address rising living and education costs could lead to protests.