UPDATE 9.40 A.M: ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna responded to Kenyans.co.ke over mounting criticism of its handling of cases involving its members.
Sifuna stated that if the court were to bar Babu Owino from accessing office, as happened in the case of Okoth Obado, the party would initiate his removal.
"When Babu is barred from accessing office thereby derailing service delivery to residents of Embakasi East we will initiate his removal as MP," he wrote.
Embattled Embakasi East MP Babu Owino came under fire from a section of Kenyans on Tuesday, September 1.
The MP was forced to respond to relentless criticism that followed an announcement from the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) on the planned impeachment of Migori Governor Okoth Obado.
ODM had hosted a meeting of 37 MCAs from Migori who resolved to table an impeachment motion against Obado in the Migori Count Assembly.
Some Kenyans pointed out it was hypocritical for ODM to take action on Obado over a corruption case while Babu, charged with Murder in January, remains safe.
They also questioned why it took a corruption case for ODM to seemingly punish Obado when he had already been charged in the 2018 murder of a college student.
Senior ODM officials were yet to respond to queries from Kenyans.co.ke by the time of publication.
The MP, however, told this writer to ignore the calls for ODM to undertake disciplinary action on him.
Assertions that Obado was not a bona fide ODM member were quickly debunked as he publicly decamped to the party in 2017 before clinching the gubernatorial ticket.
He had secured a first term in 2013 on a People's Democratic Party (PDP) ticket.
With CCTV footage of the shooting of Felix Orinda alias DJ Evolve fresh in the minds of many, they demanded that Owino face similar consequences as Obado.
Babu pleaded not guilty in January and is currently out on bail.
Some suggested that the MP be expelled from the party for him to lose his seat.
He has, however, adopted a combative stance in recent weeks and regularly fires back at his critics on social media.
On Tuesday, September 1 for instance he lambasted economist David Ndii who had classed him among inept leaders.
"Stop mentioning the name of a person who is more intelligent than you. I’m an actuary (Actuarial Science) and a lawyer who the hell are you? Economist with a bird’s brain," Owino wrote in response to Ndii.
