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🇰🇪 Kenya /Elections & Politics

Babu Owino: Linda Mwananchi to unveil new party with like-minded leaders

From The Standard · () English

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Babu Owino said Linda Mwananchi will launch a democratic party to unite leaders seeking to defeat President William Ruto in the 2027 general election.
  • He accused ODM’s current leadership of abandoning the democratic ideals associated with Raila Odinga and criticized attacks on politicians opposed to the broad-based arrangement.
  • Owino called for peaceful campaigning and condemned the use of youths to attack political opponents, saying two youths recently died in an assault on James Orengo and Edwin Sifuna.

A new political party is being planned to challenge ODM’s dominance in Nyanza, with its organizers promising free and fair nominations. Embakasi East MP Babu Owino said the Linda Mwananchi party would bring together like-minded leaders determined to send President William Ruto home in the 2027 general election.

“We’re coming with a new party. This party will be democratic, and nominations will be free and fair,” Owino told supporters in Nyalenda during the burial of KDF soldier Michael Deya. He said the party would put people at the center of its politics and provide what he called good leadership.

We’re coming with a new party. This party will be democratic, and nominations will be free and fair.

· Babu OwinoHe described the planned Linda Mwananchi party during a speech in Nyalenda.

Owino accused ODM’s current leadership of abandoning the democratic ideals that former Prime Minister Raila Odinga had championed. He recalled that opposition supporters had faced tear gas, beatings and deaths while campaigning for political change under Raila, then questioned why opponents were now being attacked within Nyanza.

Under the leadership of Raila, we were tear-gassed, beaten and hundreds of our supporters were killed because we were fighting to free the country from bad leadership and expand the democratic space. The ‘D’ in ODM stands for democracy. Where is that democracy now?

· Babu OwinoHe accused ODM’s current leadership of abandoning Raila Odinga’s democratic ideals.

He also condemned what he called the culture of goonism targeting politicians opposed to the broad-based arrangement, particularly the Linda Mwananchi Movement. Owino said youths should not be hired to attack opponents, warning that political violence causes deaths and leaves hatred between victims and those seen as responsible. He cited an attack on James Orengo and Edwin Sifuna at ACK St Stephen Cathedral in Kisumu, in which two youths died.

Owino urged residents of Nyanza to emulate regions where supporters of rival parties coexist peacefully. “We want to be allowed to do our campaigns peacefully. If we win, we’ll bring something home, no matter how little it is,” he said.

We want to be allowed to do our campaigns peacefully. If we win, we’ll bring something home, no matter how little it is.

· Babu OwinoHe called for peaceful political campaigning in Nyanza.
About this summary

Originally published by The Standard. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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