Sifuna calls for united opposition ticket as Linda Mwananchi takes campaign to Nairobi

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has called for opposition leaders to form a single coalition to challenge President William Ruto in 2027, as the Linda Mwananchi movement staged a major mobilisation through Nairobi culminating at Jacaranda Grounds.

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has intensified calls for a united opposition ahead of the 2027 General Election, saying rival groups should put aside their differences and assemble a single political team capable of defeating President William Ruto.

Speaking during the Linda Mwananchi Nairobi rally, Sifuna said the movement could challenge Ruto on its own but argued that bringing together the country's main opposition formations would make the contest more decisive.

He specifically called for engagement with Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa as part of efforts to create what he described as "kikosi moja kali", or one strong team.

"Kwa hivyo mimi nataka niwaombe mturuhusu tutengeneze kikosi moja kali," Sifuna told supporters.

He also told the crowd that Gachagua had called him the previous morning and asked him to convey greetings to supporters in Kikomba.

The remarks provided one of the clearest indications yet from Sifuna that Linda Mwananchi wants to work with other opposition blocs rather than pursue an exclusively independent route to the 2027 election.

Sifuna says Kenyans want Ruto out

Sifuna used the rally to sharpen his criticism of the Ruto administration, accusing it of burdening Kenyans with taxes and failing to protect devolution.

He told supporters that after travelling to Taita Taveta, Kakamega, Mombasa, Nakuru and other parts of the country, his conclusion was that voters wanted a change of government in 2027.

The Nairobi senator also accused Ruto of undermining devolution, arguing that electing effective governors would not be enough unless the country also had a president committed to strengthening county governments.

These are political claims by Sifuna and do not establish voter intentions nationally. The 2027 presidential election will ultimately be determined by voters through the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.

Sifuna presidential bid gains backing

The rally also demonstrated growing efforts by some Linda Mwananchi allies to position Sifuna himself as a presidential candidate.

One speaker told the gathering that Kakamega's voters would support Sifuna for president before declaring: "President atakuwa Edwin Sifuna."

Other speakers similarly presented Sifuna as their preferred candidate, while supporters were repeatedly asked to indicate whom they wanted as president in 2027.

The endorsements come as Sifuna increasingly emerges from his role as Nairobi senator and ODM secretary-general into discussions about the shape of the opposition after Raila Odinga.

However, his own message at the rally appeared to recognise the electoral arithmetic facing any opposition candidate: defeating Ruto would require building support well beyond one movement, community or region.

Babu Owino stakes claim to Nairobi governorship

Embakasi East MP Babu Owino used the mobilisation to make his Nairobi ambitions explicit, telling supporters he intends to contest the governorship in 2027.

At Kikomba, Owino promised to address recurring market fires, reduce the cost of business licences, tackle garbage collection and create employment opportunities through waste-management companies registered by young people, women and other residents.

He also promised improvements in county hospitals, including reliable medicine supplies and timely payment of health workers and other county employees.

Owino said business permits would be made cheaper and processed within a day, while the school feeding programme would continue without parents being required to contribute towards meals.

The proposals amount to early campaign commitments and would depend on county finances, procurement rules and the legal powers available to the Nairobi County government if he were elected.

Orengo joins anti-Ruto campaign

Siaya Governor James Orengo was among the senior politicians who addressed the mobilisation.

Orengo called for Ruto's defeat in 2027 and argued that Kenya's opposition must remain united rather than allowing the country to be divided along ethnic lines.

"Kenya lazima tuwe kitu kimoja," he told the gathering, according to the transcript.

Orengo also made several serious allegations against Ruto, including claims concerning the 2022 presidential election and the circumstances surrounding Raila Odinga.

Those allegations were made in a political speech and are not established as fact by the transcript. Kenya's Supreme Court upheld Ruto's 2022 presidential election victory after rejecting petitions challenging the result.

Nairobi becomes a 2027 battleground

The Linda Mwananchi mobilisation brought together several political figures and supporters as the movement travelled through parts of Nairobi before heading towards Jacaranda Grounds.

The transcript shows the convoy passing through areas including Marikiti and Kikomba, with organisers repeatedly directing supporters and vehicles along the route.

The event unfolded as Ruto was conducting his own political and development tour in Nyanza, creating competing demonstrations of political strength by the government and opposition.

For Linda Mwananchi, however, the Nairobi rally appears to have crystallised two ambitions that could shape its next phase: Sifuna for president and Babu Owino for Nairobi governor.

The more consequential question is whether Sifuna's appeal for a broader opposition "kikosi moja" can overcome the competing presidential ambitions already emerging among opposition leaders.

With less than a year to the 2027 General Election, that may determine whether Ruto faces one consolidated challenger or a fragmented field.