Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has reiterated his sentiments that he is the rightful heir of the position of the party leader of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) after the late Raila Odinga.

In a statement shared on his Facebook account on Friday, January 30, 2026, Babu said that he believes he is the most suitable candidate to steer the ODM party ahead. He also stated that the differences that are currently being witnessed in the party will eventually be resolved.

“Maneno ni mengi na mnaskia kwenye runinga,mnaskia kwenye radio,mahali popote mnaskia vita ambayo iko ata katika chama chetu cha ODM. Sisi tutatatua hiyo mambo mbele, lakini ile hatuwezi weka chini ni kuwa Babu Owino ndiye ambaye anafaa kuwa party leader wa ODM,” Babu said.

Translated as “There are a lot of things, and you can hear your TVs and social media platforms about how we have wrangles in our ODM party, but we shall solve that in the future. What we cannot lose is that Babu Owino is the one who should be the party leader of ODM.”

Babu, who has been a critic of the current ODM decisions, has been arguing that the party has drifted away from Raila Odinga’s core principles, that was built on strong ideological foundations during the period when Raila was at the helm and did not survive by chasing coalitions but rather by attracting others to its vision.

In his view, ODM’s leadership must remain firm on what the party originally stood for instead of compromising its identity, as seen in the recent past, where it was pushing for a coalition with the United Democratic Alliance UDA party.

Babu has been accusing some senior figures within the party are uncomfortable with the rise of young leaders. He maintained that age should not be used to undermine credibility, adding that leadership should be judged by vision, integrity and performance rather than years.

Speaking to the residents, Owino also made it clear that his ambitions go beyond the position of an MP, announcing his intentions to run for the gubernatorial position in Nairobi County and eventually run for the presidency.