Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has signalled that he is willing to wait until 2037 before pursuing the presidency, provided Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna wins the 2027 election and serves two terms.

The remarks mark a shift from Owino’s earlier proposal for a shorter arrangement that would allow him to pursue his own presidential ambitions in 2032. His latest position suggests he is prepared to put his plans on hold to support Sifuna’s potential bid for State House.

Owino spoke on Thursday while meeting members of the Linda Mwananchi Women League at his office. The discussion focused on the role of women in shaping Kenya’s political future and the relationship between the two leaders.

“Now that we have started this journey, I want us to build a friendship, whether politics is involved or not. We do not know where this friendship will take us,” Owino said.

He said Sifuna could serve two five-year terms if elected president in 2027, leaving office in 2037. Owino added that he would then seek the presidency himself, provided their relationship remained strong.

“If Sifuna becomes President in 2027, let him serve two terms and finish in 2037. That will be 10 years. If we are still friends, our relationship will remain intact,” he said.

Owino also expressed his desire to serve two presidential terms after Sifuna, outlining a political partnership that could extend well beyond the next general election.

A shift from his earlier plan

In August, Owino said he intended to contest the Nairobi governorship in 2027, serve one term and then run for president in 2032.

He had also called on political leaders to consider serving single terms in elective positions before backing a common presidential candidate.

His latest remarks would require him to postpone that ambition by at least five years if Sifuna won the presidency and served two full terms.

The two politicians, however, have different immediate goals. Owino is seeking the Nairobi governorship, while Sifuna has declared his intention to challenge President William Ruto in 2027.

“Sifuna does not want to be Nairobi Governor and Babu does not want to be President of Kenya at this stage. So there is no conflict of interest. We can work together as brothers and lift each other up,” Owino said.

He urged supporters to stand behind both leaders and resist attempts to turn their separate ambitions into a source of division.

Owino also recalled that he had left the Orange Democratic Movement before Sifuna, describing their political journey as one that had strengthened their bond.

Opposition unity ahead of 2027

Beyond their individual ambitions, Owino called on opposition leaders to unite ahead of the 2027 general election and learn from the 2022 presidential contest, which Raila Odinga lost to Ruto.

He argued that the opposition needed to preserve the support base built by the late former prime minister while attracting voters from other political groups.

“Votes are about multiplication and addition, not division and subtraction,” he said.

Owino urged opposition leaders to examine the weaknesses in their previous campaign strategies and address them before the next election. He cautioned against assuming that victory was guaranteed, saying leaders needed to have difficult conversations about their political direction.

His comments come as the Linda Mwananchi movement positions Sifuna as its preferred presidential candidate, while Owino pursues the Nairobi governorship.

During the unveiling of The Equitable Party on October 4, Owino publicly declared his full support for Sifuna’s presidential ambitions.

Sifuna has also made clear that he intends to contest the presidency in 2027 and challenge Ruto at the ballot box.

Whether their political alliance can withstand the competing demands of an election campaign remains to be seen. For now, Owino says he is prepared to give Sifuna time to pursue the presidency before making another attempt himself.