Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has topped the CountyTrak Performance Index 2026 with an 80% approval rating, ahead of Kalasinga, Nyoro and Bwire.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has come out on top in the latest CountyTrak Performance Index 2026, a nationwide survey released by Infotrak Research and Consulting that ranks Members of Parliament based on citizen perception of their leadership.
The Top Ranking
Babu Owino posted an approval rating of 80 per cent, the highest of any MP assessed in the survey, placing him firmly ahead of the rest of the pack in this year's ranking.
Trailing him were:
- Kabuchai MP Joseph Kalasinga – 78%
- Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro – 76%
- Taveta MP John Bwire – 76%
The findings were unveiled during a launch event held at Kempinski Hotel, Nairobi.
What the Survey Measures
The CountyTrak Performance Index offers a citizen-based assessment of how Members of Parliament, Senators and Women Representatives are perceived across the country. Rather than looking at official records alone, it captures public sentiment on leadership and service delivery.
Specifically, the survey evaluates MPs against indicators tied to:
- Public service delivery
- Visibility within their constituencies
- Responsiveness to residents' needs
- Fulfilment of general leadership expectations
Kabuchai MP Joseph Kalasinga
The Rest of the Top Performers
Beyond the top four, several other MPs featured prominently in the rankings.
Tied at 73 per cent approval:
- Samburu West MP Josephine Lesuuda
- Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa
- Mogotio MP Reuben Kiborek
- Keiyo South MP Gideon Kimaiyo Kipkoech
- Belgut MP Nelson Koech
- Mkurweini MP Kaguchia John Gichohi
Tied at 70 per cent approval:
- Aldai MP Marianne Kitany
- Mumias East MP Peter Salasya
- Samburu East MP Jackson Lekumontare
- Wundanyi MP Danson Mwashako
- Mbooni MP Erastus Kivasu Nzioka
- Changamwe MP Omar Mwinyi
Why Babu Owino's Lead Stands Out
Babu Owino's position at the top of the rankings reflects what analysts describe as shifting public sentiment toward elected leaders, with residents increasingly weighing development records and accountability more heavily when assessing their MPs' performance.
How the Survey Was Conducted
The CountyTrak Performance Index 2026 was carried out between January and May 2026, covering an extensive scope:
- 47 counties
- 290 constituencies
- 1,450 wards
- 87,286 total respondents
The research was actually conducted in two phases. The first round ran between January and March 2026 with 36,200 respondents. A second round followed with 51,086 respondents, specifically designed to boost the sample size so that every constituency had at least 300 respondents represented in the final data.
Each county was treated as its own sampling universe, with cluster samples ranging from 738 to 5,100 respondents depending on population size and number of wards. Within each county, sampling frames were built using population-proportionate-to-size sampling, guided by census data and factors like age and gender.
Data collection was done through Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI), with the results analysed using SPSS.
The Bigger Picture
With such a large and methodologically rigorous sample, the CountyTrak Index has become one of the more closely watched gauges of public opinion on Kenyan leadership. For MPs like Babu Owino who topped the list, the rating offers a strong political talking point. For others further down, it's a signal of where constituents feel more visibility and responsiveness is needed.