Battle for Nairobi exposes cracks in opposition unity

Embakasi East MP Babu Owino during an interview with The Standard on October 1, 2026. [Collins Oduor, Standard]

Nairobi is increasingly becoming a battleground for competing political interests ahead of the 2027 General Election, with shifting party loyalties, rival ambitions and the growing influence of new political movements threatening to reshape the contest for City Hall.

Governor Johnson Sakaja’s decision to abandon the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) for the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has added another layer of uncertainty to an already crowded race, exposing divisions within the party while leaving both political formations with difficult electoral calculations.