Sifuna and Orengo Move to Block “Fraudulent” Registration of Linda Mwananchi Party
In a move that has sent shockwaves through the reformist wing of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and his “Linda Mwananchi” allies have launched a formal legal offensive to stop the registration of a political party sharing their movement’s name. The group, which includes firebrand leaders like Embakasi East MP Babu Owino and Siaya Governor James Orengo, discovered a public notice dated March 4, 2026, indicating that an individual named Charles Wanyonyi had applied to the Registrar of Political Parties to formalize “Linda Mwananchi” as a political entity. The Sifuna-led team has characterized this move as a malicious attempt to “smell a rat,” alleging that the registration is a calculated effort to hijack their established brand and reformist platform.
Represented by the law firm Henia Anzala and Associates, the faction filed an immediate objection with the Registrar, asserting that the application is a fraudulent scheme designed to mislead the public. Their primary concern is that a registered party under this name could use the images, leadership names, and significant public goodwill of the original movement to secure illicit funding or manipulate voters. Saboti MP Caleb Amisi has been particularly vocal, taking to social media to distance the movement from the “shadowy” registration and warning that the group will not allow their grassroots momentum to be commodified by political opportunists.
The “Linda Mwananchi” (Protect the Citizen) initiative originally emerged as a radical pressure group within ODM following the passing of former leader Raila Odinga. Positioned as a direct rival to the “Linda Ground” outreach led by party Chairperson Gladys Wanga, Sifuna’s team has focused on high-visibility tours to address the escalating cost of living and governance failures. This latest registration scandal highlights the deepening fractures within the opposition landscape, as different factions scramble for identity and influence ahead of the 2027 election cycle. For Sifuna, Orengo, and Osotsi, the fight for the name is a fight for their political survival and the purity of their reformist message.
