Babu Owino dismisses Linda Mwananchi rift claims
By Ndiritu Wanjiru, July 1, 2026Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino has dismissed claims of divisions within the Linda Mwananchi movement, maintaining that its leaders remain united and committed to advancing the interests of ordinary Kenyans.
Speaking after being recognised as Kenya’s top-performing Member of Parliament in the latest Infotrak leadership survey on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, Babu said the coalition’s focus remains on service delivery rather than political positions.
“We are members of Linda Mwananchi. We are all principals in Linda Mwananchi, and we believe in service delivery and delivering services to the people,” Babu said.
The lawmaker argued that the coalition’s strong performance in the Infotrak rankings demonstrates that effective leadership is driven by vision and commitment rather than by whether one serves in government.
“When you see mheshimwa Mukunji, mshimwa Kalasinga and me, we are not in government, yet we are among the top leaders in this nation. That tells you clearly that it is not about being in government for you to work; it is about the vision,” he said.
Babu said the achievements of opposition legislators showed that leaders could earn public confidence through performance and accessibility to the people.
Babu calls for dialogue
Responding to questions about recent remarks by Saboti Member of Parliament Caleb Amisi, Babu has urged coalition leaders to resolve disagreements through internal consultations instead of public exchanges.
“My brother Caleb knows how to solve issues because he is a leader. When there are issues, he should call leaders, and we should sit down. We don’t want to see things on the internet and in every other place. He’s addressing the wrong people,” he said.
The Embakasi East lawmaker has also condemned what he described as unwarranted attacks on the coalition, insisting that Linda Mwananchi remains strong and focused.
“As people of Linda Mwananchi, we don’t accept any nonsensical statements against Linda Mwananchi. Linda Mwananchi must stand strong,” Babu said.
He added that any future political cooperation involving the coalition would be guided by the interests of Kenyans.
“If we must unite, we will have to unite with those who matter to us to fight for the interest of Kenyans,” he further noted.
Babu, however, declined to reveal the coalition’s next political steps, saying discussions about future alignments would be addressed at the appropriate time.
“I don’t know where to start, but those are tomorrow’s problems. Today’s problem is about Infotrack and what we have won today. We don’t want to dilute this. At the right time, we are going to communicate where we will belong,” he said.
The outspoken legislator has also urged all Members of Parliament to view the Infotrak rankings as an opportunity to improve their performance, noting that several legislators had significantly climbed the rankings since the previous survey.
“I’ve seen someone who was ranked around position 216 last time improve to around position 46 now. There is still a very big room for improvement. These Members of Parliament are our brothers and sisters, and they know why they were elected. I believe they will improve,” he said.