Babu Owino Has Launched the Mwananchi Party

Babu Owino (Embakasi East) announced The Mwananchi Party as his political vehicle for the 2027 election, including his bid for Nairobi governor, at a burial in Central Nyakach, Kisumu County, on 18 September 2026. The party is the former Muungano Party under a new name. On 22 September Owino said it had 98,365 members, People Daily reported.

Where the party came from

A Kenya Gazette notice of 24 August 2026 said Muungano Party intended to change its name to The Mwananchi Party. According to Pulse, Owino had taken control of Muungano, which it said was originally registered under Kivutha Kibwana (Governor, Makueni), and rebranded it.

There was a second track to the name. On 25 August the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal issued preliminary orders allowing the Linda Mwananchi side, led by Edwin Sifuna (Senator, Nairobi), to reserve "The Mwananchi Party" while the dispute over the Linda name continued, Citizen Digital reported.

Taking over an existing registration saves the months a new party needs. We explained that process in how Kenya registers a party.

What Owino said at Nyakach

Pulse quoted him telling mourners: "Sifuna will be party leader of Ukombozi People's Party. Babu, party leader as well, of The Mwananchi Party. Do you agree or not?" And then: "We will support Sifuna as the presidential candidate for Linda Mwananchi." The two parties would later work together through coalition arrangements, he said, and his relationship with Sifuna was intact.

Events had already overtaken the first half of that plan. In a letter dated 8 September, made public around 21 and 22 September, the Registrar of Political Parties refused to let UDP rename itself the Ukombozi People's Party. That left The Mwananchi Party as one of the few registered options in the Linda Mwananchi camp, as we set out in Sifuna's options after the setback.

The members claim

People Daily reported on 22 September that Owino celebrated 98,365 members, with people joining through the USSD code *509#. The figure is Owino's own. The Registrar of Political Parties checks membership lists and must certify each party's list by 23 March 2027. Claimed and verified membership often differ in Kenyan parties, a problem we looked at in the membership problem March 2027 will expose.

A person can belong to only one party at a time. Anyone who joins should check their registration on the Registrar's eCitizen service.

The Nairobi governor bid

Owino has led several published Nairobi governor polls in 2026:

The seat is held by Johnson Sakaja (Governor, Nairobi). James Gakuya (Embakasi North) is running for the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP). The full field is in the Nairobi governor race.

Owino won Embakasi East on the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ticket. Before the Mwananchi launch he was one of the ODM dissidents who formed Linda Mwananchi with Sifuna.

The tension with Sifuna's allies

The Nation reported on 17 September that Owino wanted Sifuna to run for president on The Mwananchi Party, while George Natembeya (Governor, Trans Nzoia) backed the Ukombozi People's Party. The paper called it the end of the movement's honeymoon.

In public Owino has stuck to loyalty. At the Jacaranda rally on 13 September he said he had stepped aside to support Sifuna's candidacy, Citizen Digital reported.

What to watch

• Whether Sifuna's allies, who promised to unveil his party around 3 October, chose The Mwananchi Party or another registration.
• Whether The Mwananchi Party files nomination rules with the Registrar by the 16 October 2026 deadline.
• Whether its membership figure holds up when lists are submitted in March 2027.