Linda Mwananchi leaders' tough choices after successful city tour

Linda Mwananchi team, led by Edwin Sifuna, Babu Owino, James Orengo, George Natembeya, among others, during their Nairobi tour on September 13, 2026. [Kanyiri Wahito, Standard]

Despite the successful rally in Nairobi, the Linda Mwananchi movement still has significant hurdles to overcome as it seeks to convert its growing visibility and following into votes.

Nairobi was a major political statement for the movement as it conquered what was the political bedroom of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga. It must now confront serious questions about whether it can sustain the political momentum and following that Raila commanded through multiple electoral cycles in the 10 months before the General Election.

The movement already has footprints in almost every part of the country after holding rallies across Western Kenya, Mombasa and Taita Taveta in the Coast region, Nairobi, Thika and Meru in the Central region, Machakos in Lower Eastern, Homa Bay, Kisumu and Kisii in Nyanza, and Nakuru and Narok in the Rift Valley.

It has yet to set foot in North Eastern and Upper Eastern.

According to political and governance analyst Javas Bigambo, the movement still has a lot of ground to cover compared with President William Ruto.

“I think it is proper to say that the opposition is playing catch-up to President William Ruto, who has been all over the country,” he said.

Big questions have also been raised about the political vehicle the movement will use to contest the General Election.

Its momentum was almost punctured after Registrar of Political Parties John Cox Lorionokou declined to register its proposed party, citing the existence of another party with a similar name.

After a large contingent of the movement visited the Registrar's office, its leaders threatened to hold demonstrations outside the office if they did not get a breakthrough over the proposed name.

The Political Parties Disputes Tribunal was expected to rule on the proposed name yesterday.

The election calendar released by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) also leaves political parties with strict timelines to meet in the coming weeks.

The first deadline is October 15, when political parties are expected to submit the names and specimen signatures of their authorised officials. Parties are also required to have their nomination rules certified by the Registrar by October 30.

Sifuna has, however, maintained that the movement has contingency plans should it fail to register the Linda Mwananchi party.

After the movement made it clear on Sunday at Jacaranda that it would have a joint presidential flagbearer, the question of who that candidate will be remains unresolved.

Siaya Governor James Orengo declared his intention to vie for the presidency last week, throwing a new spanner into the works.

In his speech, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino was measured in his remarks.

“I came out openly to support Sifuna, but at the same time, I defend the right of Comrade Orengo to contest,” Babu said.

While Orengo did not state his intentions on Sunday, he said he would be at the negotiating table with Sifuna.

“Sifuna is my son in the same way he is the son of Raila. Both Sifuna and I will be at the table to save Kenya,” Orengo said.

According to Linda Mwananchi deputy spokesperson Titus Makhanu, the question of the presidential flagbearer will be determined through a democratic process within the movement.

“People have already made the projection that our presidential candidate is Sifuna, but that does not mean that we shut out anyone else who would wish to fly that flag. That is the internal democracy that we enjoy as Linda Mwananchi,” he said.

Bigambo, however, argues that Babu Owino is already calculating his 2032 political arithmetic, having made his intention to run for the presidency in 2032 clear.

“If you look at his cards, Babu is trying to make his arithmetic for post-2032 politics. If Sifuna were to succeed in his bid, it would plunge Babu into political limbo,” he said.

On when the opposition should name its presidential candidate, Babu had earlier argued that the wider opposition needed to pick its flagbearer early.

But the Democracy for the Citizens Party leader offered a contrary view on Saturday while speaking from the United States.

“I called Babu and told him to listen to us. We have been around for long. It is not the time to name a candidate,” he said.

In the wider opposition landscape, Bigambo argues that Sifuna has emerged as a disruptor to other potential presidential contenders.

“Sifuna has brought competition to the doorstep of Matiang’i, Kalonzo Musyoka and any other person within the opposition,” Bigambo said.

The faction held a series of meetings last week, with a section of its members meeting former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i while Sifuna met Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka on the same day.

The tribal tag has also emerged, with political observers questioning whether the movement has sufficiently established a national face.

Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei on Sunday reacted to the Nairobi rallies, saying:

“Omwami Sifuna doesn't want to be a President but chairman of Luhya Council of Elders. How do you explain that the master of ceremonies is Senator Osotsi (Luhya), who welcomes him to speak; chief campaigner is Governor Natembeya (Luhya); chief propagandist and crowd mobiliser is Senator Khalwale (Luhya); and pace setter is Wamboka (Luhya)?”

On September 6, Babu hinted that the movement would form a party that would challenge the dominance of the Orange Democratic Party in Nyanza.

During Sifuna's homecoming rally in Bungoma, the leaders also hinted at forming a party that would unite the Luhya community.

This raises questions about the potential strongholds of the proposed political vehicle.

According to Leadership and Governance Professor Gitile Naituli, tribal arithmetic will still play a role in the Linda Mwananchi political matrix.

“Linda Mwananchi's assignment would be to lock Western and Nyanza out for Ruto. If they have a party that focuses on that area, it would be fine because, finally, it is tribal blocks that organise to win elections,” he said.

The “sponsor” tag has also refused to go away, with leaders in the broad-based government alleging that former President Uhuru Kenyatta is behind the movement.

The leaders have dismissed the allegations, insisting that their sponsor is the Kenyan people.

They have also set up a Paybill number through which Kenyans can contribute to their campaigns, although whether the funding model can be sustained remains to be seen.

The movement has positioned constitutionalism and the rule of law at the centre of its political agenda.

Naituli said this was a sound policy direction.

“Sifuna has been espousing a policy direction that the country is no longer being governed by the rule of law. That is all you need; you don't even need a manifesto,” he said.