A high-stakes clash of political ambitions has erupted within the newly coalescing opposition alliance following a closed-door meeting at former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua\u2019s Wamunyoro residence in Nyeri County.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u200bMultiple sources privy to the discussions revealed that Gachagua directly advised Embakasi East MP Paul Ongili, popular as Babu Owino, to abandon his bid for the Nairobi gubernatorial seat and instead consider running for the Senate. The tactical proposal was framed as a strategy to maintain balance within the emerging political front, but it has immediately exposed deep-seated rivalries over who controls the capital ahead of the 2027 General Election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u200bThe Wamunyoro Bargain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u200bThe advice came during a high-profile visit to Gachagua’s rural home by key figures of the Linda Mwananchi<\/em> movement, where Babu Owino serves as a central leader alongside Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya. While the official agenda was centered on building a united opposition alliance to challenge the incumbent administration, the battle for Nairobi quickly took center stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n \u200bAccording to insiders, Gachagua pointed out that his Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) is firmly throwning its weight behind Embakasi North MP James Gakuya for the Nairobi top job. To avoid a destructive fallout among allied partners, Gachagua suggested that Babu\u2014who intends to contest the seat under The Mwananchi Party<\/em> banner\u2014realign his focus toward the Senate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bHowever, the proposal places the vocal Embakasi East lawmaker in an awkward political bind. Babu, who has repeatedly publicly dismissed reports of stepping aside as “fake news,” maintains that his eyes remain firmly set on City Hall to succeed Governor Johnson Sakaja.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bThe impasse highlights the growing complexity of zoning strategies within the opposition. Nairobi County, boasting the country\u2019s largest voter register and political influence, has attracted a heavyweight lineup of contenders across party lines:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bPolitical analysts observe that while opposition coalitions require consensus on flagbearers to prevent vote splitting, forcing high-profile figures to step down this early risks fracturing the movement before it fully takes off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bFor Babu Owino, accepting a Senate bid would mean taking a backseat in executive county governance\u2014a move his core supporters might view as a retreat. On the other hand, defying the coalition’s informal consensus could lead to a chaotic, multi-candidate primary that weakens the opposition’s collective chances against the incumbent power structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u200bAs negotiations continue behind closed doors, the Wamunyoro meeting serves as a clear signal that the path toward a unified opposition front in Nairobi will be anything but smooth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u200bNAIROBI, KENYA A high-stakes clash of political ambitions has erupted within the newly coalescing opposition alliance following a closed-door meeting at former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua\u2019s Wamunyoro residence in Nyeri County. \u200bMultiple sources privy to the discussions revealed that Gachagua directly advised Embakasi East MP Paul Ongili, popular as Babu Owino, to abandon his bid …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":19678,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19676"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19676\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19688,"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19676\/revisions\/19688"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19678"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/inbound1540376532184608853.jpg\")
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\u200bA Crowded Arena for the Capital<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodmorningkenya.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/inbound7018938615435645743-1024x563.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
\u200bSacrifices and Unsettled Alliances<\/h3>\n\n\n\n