How a Sh55 donation landed Sifuna in court over Linda Mwananchi funds

NAIROBI, Kenya — A Sh55 contribution has put millions of shillings raised by the Linda Mwananchi movement under the spotlight, with a Kenyan voter asking the High Court to order full disclosure of how the money was collected and spent.

Alan Masakhalia has filed a petition in Nairobi seeking orders requiring Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and the Linda Mwananchi movement to account for money raised through Paybill number 3033049.

Masakhalia says he was among the Kenyans who responded to a public appeal for small contributions to support the movement.

He contributed Sh55.

In court papers, he says he did so because he understood the fundraising to be linked to Sifuna's political ambitions and a possible presidential bid in the 2027 General Election.

“My contribution was clearly towards Sifuna’s Presidential Campaign kitty,” Masakhalia says in his verifying affidavit.

The petition does not ask the court to force Sifuna to run for president.

Instead, it raises a narrower but potentially significant question: what accountability is owed to citizens who put money into a political project when the project's political direction changes?

From Sh10 appeals to millions

The dispute follows a fundraising drive launched by Sifuna in July.

At the time, the senator urged Kenyans to send as little as Sh10 to help meet the movement's operational costs.

The Paybill was registered under the name E. Sifuna because Linda Mwananchi had not been registered as a political party, Sifuna explained.

“You will see my name on the Paybill,” he said while announcing the fundraising number.

He also promised that the movement would disclose how much it raised and how the money was spent.

The appeal quickly attracted thousands of small contributions.

Figures released by the movement showed that 9,419 people contributed Sh519,144 during the first phase of the drive.

Within about 36 hours, the amount had risen to approximately Sh2.21 million, according to figures published by the movement.

The contributions ranged from Sh1 to Sh5,000, with the average donation reported at about Sh55.

That made the fundraising exercise notable not just for the amount collected, but for the number of people behind it.

What the donor wants the court to decide

Masakhalia's petition focuses on what happens to the money if the political project is abandoned, altered or redirected.

He wants Sifuna and Linda Mwananchi to disclose the total amount collected through the fundraising.

He is also seeking details of:

The accounts or financial instruments holding the money.
How much has been spent.
What the money was spent on.
Who received payments.
The purpose of each expenditure.
Relevant M-Pesa, Paybill, financial and accounting records.

He further wants the court to prevent the funds from being transferred or used for purposes that differ from those represented to contributors.

Masakhalia is also asking that financial and communication records connected to the fundraising be preserved while the case is before the court.

His argument is that donating money does not amount to surrendering all interest in knowing how it is handled.

But he expressly separates that argument from Sifuna's political freedom.

The petitioner says he accepts that Sifuna is entitled to change his political position and decide whether or not to run for office.

The dispute, he says, is about the money.

A political project that has since changed

There is an important development since the fundraising began.

On September 14, Linda Mwananchi publicly endorsed Sifuna as its preferred presidential candidate for the 2027 election following its Nairobi mobilisation campaign.

The movement also announced other political positions, including backing Embakasi East MP Babu Owino for Nairobi governor.

That endorsement came just days before the latest court action was reported.

It does not, however, remove the broader question raised by the petition.

Masakhalia wants the court to determine whether people who contributed money acquired legally enforceable interests in how those funds are handled.

He also wants the court to consider what happens if the movement's political direction changes later.

Why the Paybill matters

The Paybill arrangement is central to the dispute.

Sifuna said in July that Linda Mwananchi had not been registered as a political party, meaning the fundraising account was opened using his official name.

The movement's website continues to display Paybill 3033049 as its contribution channel.

That arrangement creates an important distinction between money raised by a registered political party and money collected by a political movement whose Paybill is registered to an individual.

Kenya's Political Parties Act requires registered political parties to maintain financial records showing their sources of funds, contributions, donations and expenditure. Parties must also disclose their funding sources to the Registrar of Political Parties.

The Election Campaign Financing Act separately defines campaign contributions and campaign-financing structures, although its operation has historically been subject to statutory suspension.

The High Court will therefore have to consider the legal character of the Linda Mwananchi fundraising arrangement and what obligations, if any, arise from the representations made to contributors.

Sifuna's position

When the Paybill was launched, Sifuna said the money was intended to support Linda Mwananchi's activities rather than enrich individuals.

He said contributions were being used for logistical costs, including services required during rallies.

He cited a Kisumu rally that cost about Sh2.6 million, saying security accounted for a substantial part of the expenditure.

“We are not looking to enrich ourselves,” Sifuna said, explaining that the fundraising was intended to help the movement meet the costs of its activities.

He also said the movement would disclose the amount collected and explain how the money had been used.

Those earlier assurances are now relevant to the petitioner's demand for detailed financial disclosure.

The bigger question for grassroots politics

The case comes as Kenyan political movements increasingly turn to mobile money to raise funds from supporters.

The Linda Mwananchi campaign showed how quickly small contributions can accumulate.

Thousands of Kenyans gave relatively modest amounts. Within days, the total had crossed the Sh2 million mark.

The court case now places that model under a different kind of scrutiny.

If political movements invite citizens to fund their activities through personal or movement-linked payment channels, what records should be kept?

Who legally controls the money?

What information should contributors receive?

And what happens to the funds when a political movement changes its alliances, candidates or objectives?

Those questions extend beyond Sifuna and Linda Mwananchi.

They touch on the wider issue of transparency in Kenya's political fundraising ahead of the 2027 General Election.

For now, Masakhalia's petition remains a set of claims and requests before the High Court. Filing the case does not establish that Sifuna or Linda Mwananchi misused any funds.

The court is yet to determine the petitioner's claims or the orders he is seeking.

About the Author

Maureen Onyango is a journalist passionate about storytelling, life coaching and spiritual lessons. She studied at the Kenya Institute of Management and enjoys telling stories that inform, inspire and empower communities.