Babu Owino during the celebration ODM@20

By Kimberly Kalusi

Embakasi East MP Babu Owino delivered one of the evening’s most electric moments at the ODM@20 dinner, using the anniversary to rally the party’s youth wing, honour Raila Odinga’s political legacy and position himself among the movement’s rising power brokers.

Speaking before party leader Oburu Oginga and a packed ballroom of governors, MPs and long-time ODM loyalists, Owino portrayed the movement’s two-decade journey as a battle for justice fought “in the heat of struggle and the fire of resistance.”

“ODM was born for the ordinary Kenyan,” he said. “It is not a political party — it is a promise that justice is not charity but a right.”

His speech, a blend of tribute and insurgent ambition, underscored his growing stature as one of the most influential young voices within the Orange party.

Owino used the milestone to push for a generational transition, arguing that ODM’s survival depended on giving greater space to younger leaders who “are not waiting to be invited — we are ready to lead.”

He framed Kenya’s youth as a demographic force locked out of economic and political opportunity, insisting their time had come.

“This movement’s next 20 years cannot be written by those who fear change,” he declared. “The youth have waited long enough; we are stepping forward to claim our space.”

He said that the older generation dished out seats without consideration of the youth.

“I saw seats dished out. Was it considered that I can not lead in ODM?”he posed.

he said that the late Raila was a bridge and ladder that all leaders used to climb the political steps.

Efforts to cut his speech were meant with defiance, citing that when Raila was alive he had freedom to talk for hours and he is certain this was the last time to be invited to talk.

He added that he will lead a demonstration in case of oppression; he will not stop going to the streets.

He added that in the future he will be the party leader.

“Bila Babu, Tabu,”he added.

Praise for Raila

In one of the evening’s most emotionally charged passages, the MP paid glowing tribute to Odinga, calling him “one of the most consequential leaders in Kenya’s history.”

“You have endured arrests, detentions, insults and betrayals,” he told the ODM leader. “History will remember you not for the elections you lost, but for the country you kept together.”

The remarks drew loud applause from the audience, with Odinga smiling as Owino spoke.

Never one to avoid confrontation, Owino threw veiled shots at rival parties, saying they could “copy the slogans but not the spirit” of ODM.

“Others may buy crowds,” he said. “But you cannot buy passion.”

Owino’s speech captured the mix of nostalgia and urgency defining ODM’s 20-year milestone — celebrating past battles while signalling the internal jostling shaping its future.

Whether his call for youth ascendancy reshapes the party’s internal dynamics remains to be seen, but at ODM@20, Babu Owino left little doubt of his ambition.