Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna’s growing presidential ambitions have introduced a new layer of competition among opposition figures, while Embakasi East MP Babu Owino’s bid for the Nairobi governorship is also being viewed against the backdrop of longer-term political ambitions, according to governance expert Javas Bigambo.
Speaking on Radio Generation on Monday, Bigambo said Sifuna’s emergence had brought political competition directly to senior opposition figures, including former Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka and former Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i.
“Honourable Sifuna has brought competition, political war to the doorstep of Matiangi, brought competition to the doorstep of Kalonzo Musyoka, brought competition to the doorstep of any other person within the opposition,” he said.
His remarks follow a weekend rally at Nairobi’s Jacaranda Grounds, where Senator Edwin Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Owino were among opposition figures seeking to demonstrate their political strength ahead of the 2027 election.
Bigambo said the rally was a sign of a growing democratic contest but argued that the opposition remained far from united.
“If you may begin, you may have realized, for example, that even within the Linda Group, there is a silent push and pull within it,” he said.“There is a sense of mistrust, internal competition.”
He also questioned former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i’s current political reach, saying he had not demonstrated the nationwide mobilisation expected of a serious presidential contender.
“I have not seen Hon Matiangi hold a rally in the coastal region, in the northern part of Kenya, in Nairobi,” Bigambo said.
He said Babu Owino’s political calculations went beyond the immediate 2027 contest.
“Babu Owino is not just keen on issues 2027,” he said. “Babu Owino is trying to make his arithmetic for post-2032 politics.”
The governance expert argued that a successful Sifuna presidential bid could create a dilemma for Embakasi East MP Owino by altering the political space available to him after 2027.
“If Sifuna were to succeed at his speed, that would plunge Babu Owino into some kind of political limbo,” he said.
He, however, said President Ruto retained an advantage as opposition leaders sought to consolidate their support.
Ruto, he said, had three key tasks: implementing his commitments, building a record that could persuade voters to renew his mandate and using the “capital of incumbency” to strengthen his re-election bid.
“He is a candidate not just to beat, but to be trusted because he has got a track record, he has got the weight, and this serious capital of incumbency,” Bigambo said.
His remarks come as political activity intensifies across the country ahead of the 2027 polls, with political leaders stepping up efforts to rally support from Kenyans.