The vocal legislator, addressing a charged crowd alongside ODM leaders including Siaya Governor James Orengo and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, criticized party colleagues who have shifted focus from grassroots activism to what he termed corporate interests.

“The party we have now is ODM Limited. It is a company that now focuses on making money,”Babu declared, drawing attention to how the party has drifted from its activist roots.

The MP pointed to the success of past protests, noting how the demonstrations have influenced political appointments and government policy.

“We are now being told that the party cannot produce a presidential candidate, nor does it want a deputy presidential position,” he stated, highlighting what he sees as a retreat from the party’s original mission.

Babu’s stance comes from his consistent record of joining protesters on the streets, actions that have previously cost him his security detail and brought him into confrontation with government authorities.

He also issued a stern warning to sections of the ODM senior leadership, telling supporters that the party’s grassroots would “deal with” leaders he accused of betraying its core ideals.

The Embakasi East MP said the movement belongs to ordinary members and vowed that any internal attempts to “sell out” the party would be fiercely resisted.

“I want to warn the ODM senior leadership, if you betray the party and its supporters, we will deal with you. ODM belongs to the people, not a few individuals,” the MP stated

The Linda Mwananchi Tour represents a new chapter in ODM’s internal struggle, with dissidents using the platform to challenge current party direction and reaffirm their commitment to street activism as a catalyst for political transformation.

The tour is expected to continue across various counties as the faction seeks to mobilize grassroots support ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The post Babu Owino: Kenyans Will Picket and Demonstrate Because It Brings Change appeared first on Insider Bits News.

Speaking at a packed rally in Busia County during the Linda Mwananchi Tour, Orengo joined forces with fellow ODM leaders including Secretary General Edwin Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino to deliver a clear message: the Orange Democratic Movement must remain an independent opposition force.

“Nobody can dare auction the ODM party,” Orengo declared to roaring crowds, switching between Kiswahili and English. “We will not be swallowed by any other party.”

What stood out at the Busia rally was the nature of the crowd itself, thousands of supporters turned out with little to no orange-branded merchandise, suggesting an organic groundswell rather than a choreographed political event.

The turnout appeared to validate claims by Orengo’s faction that they represent the authentic voice of ODM’s grassroots base.

The opposition wing of ODM, led by Sifuna, Orengo, Babu Owino, Saboti MP Caleb Amisi, Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi, Caroli Omondi, Joshua Kimilu, and Obadiah Barongo, positions itself as the custodian of the party’s founding principles against what they describe as an opportunistic faction that has been co-opted by the Ruto administration.

“ODM Must Field a Presidential Candidate”

Orengo was unequivocal about the party’s 2027 strategy: ODM must field its own presidential candidate and cannot join forces with UDA.

“ODM cannot join UDA, it will not happen,” he insisted.

“No one will force us to join a government that we do not agree with. ODM must field a presidential candidate.”

His remarks drew a sharp line between his faction and ODM members who have taken positions in Ruto’s government or suggested closer cooperation with Kenya Kwanza.

Orengo and his allies argue that such arrangements represent opportunism rather than principled politics, and that they dilute ODM’s identity as an opposition force.

The rally comes amid a bitter internal struggle over the party’s future direction.

While some ODM figures have embraced working arrangements with the government, Orengo’s wing accuses them of abandoning the party’s core values in pursuit of political expediency.

By casting the debate as one between ODM’s “real owners” and “founding members” versus what they characterize as a compromised wing, Orengo’s faction is making a play not just for control of party strategy but for its very soul.

The Linda Mwananchi Tour appears designed to demonstrate that significant grassroots support exists for maintaining ODM’s independence, and that the party’s base will resist any attempt to sell out to the current administration as Kenya moves toward the 2027 General Election.

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In a detailed clarification, his son Jaoko Oburu explained that the decision for Oburu to travel was a collective family push, not a medical emergency, amid swirling rumours on social media suggesting otherwise.

“It’s been a beehive of activity for the family, and especially now, our leader, the Honorable Dr. Oburu Oginga,” Jaoko said in a video message shared online.

“We’ve had functions all over the place to condole with our people, the population of wananchi, for Baba, in Homa Bay, in Migori, and everywhere. And we also had ODM at 20.”

Since Raila’s death in October, Oburu has carried enormous political and family responsibilities, overseeing funeral arrangements, meeting supporters across the country, and later presiding over the ODM @20 celebrations, where he was formally unveiled as party leader.

Jaoko said that in the rush to manage national mourning and party affairs, the family realised Oburu had barely had time to process his own grief.

“We realized that the party leader had not even had a minute to mourn his own brother,” he explained.

“Therefore, as a family, we really insisted that he needed a break, which we made sure that last week, on Thursday, he took this break and went to Dubai. He didn’t want to go very far.”

He stressed that Oburu’s trip was not driven by a health scare.

“Hakuenda na shida yoyote,” Jaoko assured supporters. “We took mzee to go and rest. We forced him… we forced him that he has to take a break.”

According to the family, the ODM leader is expected back in the country after a short stay.

“He’s there, he’ll be back tomorrow,” Jaoko said, adding that the brief time away was meant to allow him to recollect, recharge, and reset” after weeks of intense political and emotional pressure.

However, even as Oburu takes time off, the family has been struck by yet another loss.

“Unfortunately, again, we’ve had another loss in the family,” Jaoko revealed.

“We have our aunt, our beloved aunt, who is the fifth born in my father’s family. She’s known as Beryl Achieng Odinga. We lost her yesterday, in the early afternoon.”

The double strain of national expectations and private grief has put the Odinga family under intense public scrutiny, with Oburu’s every move analysed for political meaning.

Some online commentators had speculated that his Dubai trip was prompted by serious illness or internal ODM power struggles.

But the family has been categorical that the ODM boss is well and will return to continue leading the party.

An earlier statement from his sister Ruth Odinga also framed the trip as a normal, necessary pause:

“ODM Party Leader Oburu Oginga has travelled to Dubai for a three-day visit to rest following a hectic political period,” Ruth said, noting his non-stop schedule since Raila’s death and the ODM anniversary event.

On social media, an X post linked to Oburu’s camp echoed the same message of reassurance: “Feeling grateful for good health and high spirits. Taking a short sabbatical to recollect, recharge, and reset.”

As debates over ODM’s future and succession politics continue, the Oburu family is urging Kenyans to see this moment not as a crisis, but as a human pause.

For them, the short getaway is less about strategy and more about allowing “mzee” a rare moment of rest, and space to mourn a brother who was also the political giant at the centre of their lives.

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