Rigathi Gachagua is facing a delicate political balancing act in Nairobi as Embakasi East MP Babu Owino and Embakasi North MP James Gakuya position themselves for the 2027 gubernatorial contest, threatening to complicate opposition efforts to coordinate candidates.
Gakuya has declared that he will run as an independent candidate if he fails to secure the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) ticket, signalling that he is unwilling to surrender his ambitions to accommodate another aspirant.
His position presents a potential headache for Gachagua, the DCP leader, as he navigates competing interests within the opposition while political alliances and nominations take shape ahead of the August 2027 General Election.
“I did not give the party leader, Rigathi Gachagua, any conditions. He is free to decide whatever he wants. Personally, I am the one who has said that I cannot abandon my bid for the governorship,” Gakuya said.
“If I am denied the opportunity, I will pursue it even if that means becoming an independent candidate. I cannot force the party to give me the ticket, but I have said that, given how far I have come politically, I cannot go backwards. I must move forward and proceed to the ballot,” he added.
The remarks underline the challenge facing opposition leaders seeking to balance individual ambitions with broader coalition calculations. Nairobi is a crucial political battleground, and disagreements over who should fly a party flag could complicate attempts to rally supporters behind a common candidate.
Gakuya draws red line
Gakuya has also questioned the approach to coalition negotiations, arguing that aspirants for county positions should not automatically be expected to step aside when political leaders negotiate alliances.
“When people talk about coalitions, they should discuss the top seats but leave the lower seats for the candidates to compete for themselves,” he said.
The MP’s position suggests that he would rather pursue an independent campaign than withdraw from the Nairobi gubernatorial race to accommodate another candidate.
For Gachagua, the challenge is to manage the DCP nomination process without alienating an aspirant who has publicly committed to remaining in the contest.
If Gakuya proceeds independently, the party would face a contest involving a candidate who had initially sought its nomination. The eventual implications would depend on the candidates, alliances and support they assemble as the election approaches.
Babu builds his platform
Gakuya is not the only politician positioning himself for the Nairobi governorship. Babu Owino has also made his ambitions clear, building his campaign around his record as Embakasi East MP and the promise of improved service delivery.
“So long as you can be given the responsibility of managing a constituency and you do it well, then it’s only fair that you can manage a county also fairly well,” Owino said in an interview published by Citizen Digital on 28 September 2026.
He has argued that Nairobi residents want practical solutions to persistent challenges involving roads, water, healthcare, employment and the business environment.
“Nairobi people are just looking for service,” he said.
Owino’s political positioning adds another layer to the contest, particularly as opposition leaders weigh how to approach the governor’s race while maintaining their wider national alliances.
The race also involves incumbent Governor Johnson Sakaja and businesswoman Agnes Kagure, among other potential contenders. Whether the aspirants ultimately compete separately or negotiate political arrangements remains an important question.
Polls add pressure
Polling figures have further fuelled debate over the Nairobi race, although surveys from different organisations have produced varying results.
A Mizani Africa survey conducted between 21 and 28 August 2026 among 1,820 registered voters placed Owino at 28.4 per cent, Kagure at 27.2 per cent, Sakaja at 17 per cent and Gakuya at 15 per cent. The poll reported a margin of error of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.
A separate Bobea Report survey conducted between 26 August and 2 September placed Owino at 26.7 per cent, Sakaja at 23.2 per cent and Gakuya at 21.9 per cent, with 18.5 per cent of respondents undecided.
The figures offer snapshots of voter preferences at the time of the surveys, rather than definitive predictions of the 2027 outcome.
Gachagua’s Balancing Act
The central challenge for Gachagua is how to accommodate competing ambitions in Nairobi without undermining the DCP’s nomination process or its wider opposition strategy.
Gakuya’s threat to run independently means that a party decision favouring another candidate could leave the MP pursuing a separate campaign. Owino’s own gubernatorial ambitions add to the difficulty of reaching an arrangement acceptable to all sides.
Coalition negotiations could therefore become as consequential as the campaigns themselves, particularly if political leaders seek to coordinate candidates for the presidency, Parliament and county offices.
However, the eventual outcome will depend on formal party decisions, the candidates’ choices and the alliances that emerge before the election.
For now, Gakuya has made his position clear: he will seek the DCP ticket but will not abandon the race if it is denied to him. Owino is also advancing his own bid, leaving Gachagua and other opposition leaders to navigate a contest in which competing ambitions could complicate efforts to establish a common strategy for Nairobi.
