Kaluma: Sifuna, Babu Owino secretly defected from ODM before Raila’s death
By Emmanuel Rono, March 26, 2026Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma has claimed that Edwin Sifuna and Babu Owino abandoned the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) long before the passing of its former leader, late Raila Odinga.
Speaking in an interview with a local radio station on Thursday, March 26, 2026, ahead of the party’s National Delegates Convention (NDC), Kaluma alleged that the two Nairobi leaders entered into a secret pact with Rigathi Gachagua.
“Let me tell you some truths, as it is, we sit with this gentlemen Sifuna, and Babu Owino left the ODM party long before Raila died, and this is something I have told them, and they can’t respond because I know,” Kaluma said.
According to Kaluma, the duo was persuaded that leadership in Nairobi is unattainable without the support of a specific community, leading them to align their political future with Gachagua’s direction.
“These people you know swallowed the bait that you cannot be a leader in Nairobi without the support of some community. And by the way, they approached Baba to allow them to speak with that community. The fact of the matter is that these people met with Gachagua, and they agreed to go that way,” Kaluma noted.
Sifuna – Owino on Gachagua
Kaluma said that even though they supposedly agreed with Gachagua, Sifuna and Owino do not plan to run under Gachagua’s direct banner.
He said that the ODM base is naturally hostile to Gachagua’s rhetoric, which Kaluma called preaching exclusion, inequality, and ethnic domination. Because of this, the two have reportedly agreed to run under the Wiper Democratic Movement party instead.
“The agreement they reached was that they cannot run under Gachagua because our people are naturally hostile to Gachagua. He preaches exclusion, inequity, and ethnic domination, which is something the ODM by its nature does not accept. So these people will be running under Wiper,” Kaluma said.
Babu Owino on ODM leadership
Embakasi East Member of Parliament (MP) Babu Owino recently declared his ambition to ascend to the highest office within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
Taking to his Facebook page on Thursday, March 19, 2026, Owino declared that he has no interest in the seat, the Secretary General, currently held by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna.
“I want to be the party leader, not secretary general. The secretary general remains Edwin Sifuna,” Owino wrote.
Linda Mwananchi NDC
The Linda Mwananchi team, led by Edwin Sifuna and Babu Owino, on Wednesday, March 19, 2026, announced it will hold its National Delegates Convention (NDC) on March 27, 2026.
Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi, while speaking in a presser, confirmed that they will hold their people’s dialogue convention, which is going to run parallel to the NDC organised by the Linda Ground group.
“On 27 March, we are holding an ODM people’s dialogue convention, which is going to run parallel to the NDC organised by the Linda Ground group,” Osotsi said.