Embakasi East Member of Parliament (MP) Babu Owino has urged the youth to not only participate in voting during the approaching 2027 general elections but also to go for the elective seats.
Babu also noted that the group forms a significant majority of the Kenyan population.
Speaking during an Easter celebration in Westlands, Nairobi, on Friday, April 18, 2025, Owino challenged the youth to exemplify the leadership they foresee to create the difference they yearn for.
“I want to encourage this generation, the Gen Zs and the millennials, to participate in the forthcoming elections in 2027 because they are the majority, which adds up to 65 per cent of the Kenyan population,” Owino noted.
Presidential candidate
“That means they can produce a president amongst themselves; they can produce any governor down to the MCA seat; so, do not just participate by voting, but also participate by going for these elective seats.”
He urged the youth to get involved in the political process, observing that politicians hold much sway over the future of a nation they lead and the economic prospects of its people.
“Anybody who goes to cast a ballot is a politician; that is a political process that they are engaging in,” Owino stated.
“After electing a politician, what do they do? Some become dealers, while others become leaders. Some have a mission to destroy the nation; some have a vision to transform lives.”
Be on the table
Adding: “As I always say, if you are not on the table, break that table. The most important thing is what you do after being elected, which is service to the people.”
The firebrand youthful MP, who is currently serving a second term in the National Assembly, equally noted that he was capable of, among other things, becoming the president of the country or the governor of Nairobi.
His interest, however, in the gubernatorial seat of Nairobi has faced major political hurdles from within his political party.
During a prayer ceremony at the Bomas of Kenya in February 2025 for ODM Party leader Raila Odinga’s failed African Union Commission (AUC) bid, Odinga was seen to have endorsed the current Governor Johnson Sakaja for the seat in 2027, much to the chagrin of Owino.
Speaking on the matter, Owino stated that Odinga was at liberty to support whoever he chose, pointing out, however, that Sakaja was not a bona fide member of ODM and was only in the company of Raila because of President William Ruto.
“I’m telling you today, if Ruto (had another candidate that he) was supporting for AUC Chairperson, Sakaja would have campaigned for that candidate, not Baba, because he has never liked Baba,” Owino said.