Linda party row casts doubt on independence of registrar's office

‎Linda Mwananchi leaders led by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna at Mazembe Grounds, Nakuru. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

The Registrar of Political Parties, John Cox Lorionokou, is facing renewed public scrutiny following a legal row over the registration of the Linda Mwananchi Party.

Critics have raised questions on the role of the Registrar ahead of the high-stakes 2027 general election, expressing fears that the office was acting at the behest of the State to suppress the opposition, in what is shaping up to be a protracted legal battle.

For a man who was handpicked by President William Ruto to spearhead the office of the Registrar of Political Parties, having served as a Constituency Elections Coordinator at IEBC for more than 15 years, Lorionokou now finds himself facing a herculean task of assuaging a riled-up opposition that believes he is being used by the State as a tool to stifle democracy.

He finds himself in the same boat as his predecessors Lucy Ndungu and Anne Nderitu, who during their tenures had to battle with allegations of making registration decisions aligned closely with the strategic interests of the government.

And while Lorionokou has absolved himself from any wrongdoing or operating from a place of ill intent, the Edwin Sifuna-led team has questioned his move to register the Liberty National Democratic Alliance, alias LINDA, simultaneously calling out the registrar over his flip-flopping on the reason as to why his hands are legally tied and cannot register the Linda Mwananchi Movement as a party.

Previous actions by leaders in the opposition, such as those by People’s Party of Kenya leader Ndindi Nyoro to pick an old party to avoid the bottlenecks that come with the registration of a new party, have also pointed to a lack of trust in the office of the Registrar of Political Parties. Nyoro’s move was a deliberate manoeuvre to evade state surveillance and administrative sabotage.

Critics now read malice in the operations of the Registrar of Political Parties, terming him a spanner boy for the State. They argue that the Linda Mwananchi name registration blockage was designed to deflate the surging movement led by Sifuna, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino and Siaya Governor James Orengo among others.

“We know that the President has been against Sifuna and it is evident through the actions of the registrar of political parties... The two political parties contesting for a name are very distinct and if the Political Parties Dispute Tribunal is fair, it should hasten the case and issue a hearing to ensure Sifuna wins,” says Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo.

“I encourage Sifuna to continue fighting for the brand because it is a big brand but I’m sure even if they don’t win, they have a contingency plan.”

According to section 8 of the Political Parties Act, the Registrar may refuse an application for the registration of a political party if the name of the political party, the abbreviation of the name, the slogan or the symbol that it wishes to use is obscene or offensive, is the name or is an abbreviation of another political party that is registered.

“The Registrar may refuse an application for the registration of a political party if the name of the political party, the abbreviation of the name, the slogan or the symbol that it wishes to use for this Act so nearly resembles the name, slogan or symbol, or an abbreviation of the name of another political party registered under this Act or any other legal entity registered under any other written law,” reads the Act.

It further hands the Registrar powers not to register a party if the name it wishes to use is similar to, or associated with, a group or association that has been proscribed under any written law; or is against the public interest.

It is this law that Registrar Lorionkou has invoked to reject an application to reserve the name Linda Mwananchi Party of Kenya (LMPK), citing similarities to existing slogans and public interest concerns.

In a June letter to the Sifuna-led team, Lorionokou cited Section 8 of the Political Parties Act, which sets out requirements governing the reservation and registration of political party names.

“Reference is made to your online application for the reservation of the following name: Linda Mwananchi Party of Kenya (LMPK). Your application has been considered by law, and the name has been rejected as it closely resembles an already reserved slogan, Linda Mkenya, Boresha Kenya, and public interest, hence against Section 8 of the Political Parties Act Cap 7D. Kindly resubmit other names for review,” Lorionokou said.

The movement’s leaders subsequently met Lorionokou on August 4, seeking a review of the decision.

Shortly after the meeting, Suba South MP Caroli Omondi said the Registrar had agreed to reconsider the decision and communicate his final position.

“We had an extensive discussion. There is no reason to refuse the name Linda Mwananchi Movement. The Registrar has told us he will review his decision and give us feedback at the end of the week with his final decision on the matter,” Omondi said.

The dispute, however, recently escalated after the Registrar claimed the existence of another entity using the LINDA abbreviation. Proponents of the Liberty National Democratic Alliance (LINDA) now claim that they had begun its registration process in 2024 and have raised objections to the use of the name by the Linda Mwananchi faction.

The matter has since moved to the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal, where the Linda Mwananchi brigade has sought orders stopping the Registrar from reserving or registering Linda Mwananchi or similar variations for another entity.

Linda Mwananchi has, however, already secured an alternative political vehicle dubbed “The Mwananchi party” pending conclusion of the legal dispute.

In the interim, PPDT has directed the Registrar not to consider, process, reserve or register “Linda Mwananchi” or a similar variation for another individual or entity pending the determination of the dispute.

The Tribunal also allowed the reservation and registration process for the Liberty National Democratic Alliance (LINDA) to continue pending the determination of the dispute. The matter is scheduled to return before the Tribunal on September 14, 2026.

The opposition now claims that Lorionokou’s U-turn on the registration of the Linda Mwananchi team and the flip-flopping on the reasons as to why it cannot be registered are indicators that his office is not insulated from State interference.

 Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi claims that President William Ruto’s hand is evident in the frustrations that have afflicted the Linda Mwananchi brigade.

“If you look at this issue in its entirety, it tells you that the office of the Registrar of Political Parties is not Independent. It is acting at the whims of State House...I approached that office personally and told the Registrar that we would like the name Linda Mwananchi registered. At that point, he would have told me that those names are not available. But he accepted my letter and promised he would reserve the name but about two weeks later, he came back to tell me that someone else had reserved that name in 2024,” said Osotsi.

 He held that the reservation of a party name administratively lapses after 90 days and that there is no evidence that the proponents behind the Liberty National Democratic Alliance made a renewal of their reservations.

“It is unfortunate than office involved in the regulation of political parties can be turned into a tool for intimidation of the opposition and those who want to participate in free and fair elections. There is no party called Linda; if you look at the office of the Registrar’s website, it is not among the provisionally registered parties. What they did is they asked the owners of the party to use the same exact content of our letter to register that party and they backdated it to appear as if they came before us. If the ORPP can participate in the abuse of power, then as a country we are in trouble,” added the Vihiga Senator.

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna reiterated his determination to fight for the Linda Mwananchi Movement, simultaneously accusing President William Ruto of being behind the registration dispute.

Speaking in an address to young aspirants at Ufungamano House on Tuesday, Sifuna emphasised that the group was fighting to protect a brand identity that had resonated with ordinary Kenyans, rather than seeking to defend a particular political party.

“We took the Registrar to court because we do not believe he has any reason to deny us the name. But I want to be clear: what we are fighting for is not a party. We have parties. We are fighting for a brand, our name,” Sifuna stated.

Adding, “Somebody asked whether the party was ready. What we will do is that we have many options. Kasongo thinks he is dealing with children, but I said we are students of Raila Odinga, who had Plan A, B, C, D, E, F, G mpaka Z,” Sifuna remarked.