A youth-led political movement that promised an inclusive platform for all 47 counties has been thrust into an accountability crisis.
Businessman Patrick Nyambaka Osoi alleges he was lured into pouring millions of shillings into the 47 Voices of Kenya Congress Party, popularly known as the Voices Party, only to be sidelined by its founder and chairman after being promised to be granted the position of party leader.
The party, whose slogan is Sauti Kila Mahali, was provisionally registered by the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) in July 2025. It positioned itself as a vehicle to channel Gen Z and young leadership interests into formal democratic participation.
However, the party is now embroiled in claims of fraud, forgery and broken promises. Osoi claims he was defrauded of Sh2.5 million.
He says the founder and chairman Wycliffe Gichuru Kamanda repeatedly presented him as the party leader and urged him to fund its expansion only to later present his own name as party leader when the ORPP required submission of the national governing body for full registration.
In court, Kamanda denied obtaining the money from Osoi between 9 August 2024 and 14 September 2026, by falsely pretending he was in a position to make Osoi the party leader.
He further faces accusations of forging the signatures of party officials Tony Illo and Idrian Suleiman on documents submitted to the ORPP.
According to the complainant, the Voices Party was formed in June 2023. Osoi was introduced to Kamanda and other founding members and was asked to support the party.
Because Osoi was referred to as party leader, he was pressed to finance it. After the provisional certificate was issued, Kamanda told him the party needed to open offices in 25 counties. Osoi again provided the funds for branding, rent and furnishing of the offices.
When the ORPP later requested the national governing body to complete registration, Kamanda submitted his own name as party leader instead of Osoi’s.
Osoi then discovered that the 25 county offices he had financed had never been opened, and that signatures on documents lodged with the ORPP, including the PP4 and PP5 forms required for full registration had been forged.
According to Illo and Suleiman, no meetings had taken place, and that they had not signed the minutes alleged to have been prepared by them. Efforts to resolve the dispute amicably collapsed.
The ORPP’s notice of provisional registration listed the founding members as Kamanda, Illo, Suleiman and one other.
Osoi’s name did not appear, despite his role as the principal financier.
Following Osoi’ report, Kamanda was arrested and arraigned. He granted a cash bail of Sh100,000 or an alternative bail of Sh200,000.
The case is scheduled to be heard on November 25