Geoffrey Mosiria, Babu Owino: Inside Long-Running 'Beef' Dating Back to University of Nairobi Leadership

Some rivalries begin in the corridors of power, while others in the heat of an election campaign.

For former Nairobi City County official Geoffrey Mosiria and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, however, the roots of their differences reportedly stretch back to their university days.

Days when student leadership offered a glimpse of the political battles that would follow them into adulthood.

Years later, the two men have established themselves in Nairobi’s public affairs, albeit through different paths.

Owino built his career in elective politics, while Mosiria became a recognisable county official whose hands-on approach to city problems attracted considerable attention on social media.

Their paths have crossed repeatedly, with disagreements over Nairobi’s environmental challenges adding a fresh dimension to a rivalry that Mosiria has described as dating back to the University of Nairobi.

But how did the relationship between the two men become so strained, and why does their disagreement continue to attract public attention?

The story begins at the University of Nairobi, where both men participated in student leadership.

Babu Owino rose to prominence through the Students’ Organization of Nairobi University (SONU), becoming one of the institution’s most recognisable student leaders.

Mosiria also held a student leadership position, serving as SONU’s Secretary for Sports and Entertainment.

Their time at the university placed them in an environment where leadership contests could offer more than a title.

Student politics provided opportunities to build networks, mobilise supporters and develop the public profiles that could later prove valuable in national politics.

According to Mosiria, however, their relationship took a difficult turn during a student leadership election in which he competed against Owino.

In an interview in March 2025, Mosiria alleged that the election was allegedly manipulated in Owino’s favour.

He suggested that the circumstances surrounding the contest contributed to the differences between them.

For Mosiria, the disagreement appears to have extended beyond the outcome of a campus election, becoming part of a longer-running dispute over leadership and political influence.

Leaving university did not necessarily mean leaving political ambitions behind.

Owino went on to pursue elective politics and won the Embakasi East parliamentary seat in the 2017 general election.

He retained the seat in the 2022 polls, cementing his position in Nairobi’s political landscape.

Mosiria took a different route, building his career in public administration within the Nairobi City County Government.

But according to Mosiria, the two men’s paths nearly crossed again during the 2017 election cycle.

In his March 2025 account, Mosiria claimed that Owino approached him when he was considering a parliamentary bid and asked him to step aside rather than compete for the Embakasi East seat.

Mosiria said he agreed to pursue a different path.

While Owino continued to build his profile as an elected politician, Mosiria gradually became a familiar face to Nairobi residents through his work in the county government.

He served in the health sector before moving into environmental management, where he attracted attention for documenting county operations on social media.

His videos frequently showed him confronting illegal dumping, addressing sanitation concerns and engaging with residents over activities affecting the city’s cleanliness.

The approach gave Mosiria a public profile that extended beyond the offices of City Hall.

Residents could watch his operations unfold online, turning routine county enforcement activities into widely discussed public encounters.

His visibility also created a platform from which he could speak directly about Nairobi’s challenges.

For someone who had participated in student politics, this growing public recognition represented a different kind of influence, one built around public service, visibility and direct engagement with residents.

It also brought him into the same public arena as established political figures, including Owino.

The differences between Mosiria and Owino have also surfaced in discussions about Nairobi’s persistent environmental problems.

In March 2025, Mosiria criticised Owino over his use of photographs showing garbage in Nairobi, arguing that leaders should support efforts to address the problem rather than merely highlight it.

The exchange brought their rivalry into the realm of everyday city management, an issue that directly affects residents who contend with uncollected rubbish, blocked drainage and poor sanitation.

For Mosiria, who was then serving in the county’s environment docket, the criticism touched on the responsibilities of his department and the challenges facing those tasked with keeping the city clean.

For Owino, as a constituency representative, speaking about problems affecting Nairobi residents falls within the wider political space in which elected leaders operate.

One of the more striking aspects of Mosiria’s account is his claim that Owino views him as a potential political threat.

Mosiria suggested that their differences were connected to concerns about his growing public profile and political ambitions.

The allegation raises a question that often surfaces in competitive politics: what happens when a public official begins attracting the kind of attention traditionally associated with elected leaders?

Mosiria’s social media presence has helped him communicate directly with Nairobi residents, while his work in the county government has exposed him to issues that matter to voters.

Owino, meanwhile, has an established electoral base in Embakasi East and years of experience in elective politics.

Mosiria’s public profile has continued to evolve beyond his county responsibilities.

In October 2026, he declared his intention to challenge Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja in the 2027 General Election, signalling ambitions that extend beyond his previous administrative roles.

The announcement places Mosiria more firmly in the political arena, although a gubernatorial bid is distinct from a parliamentary contest against Owino.

His political ambitions add context to the rivalry, particularly given his claim that disagreements over leadership and influence have followed the two men since university.