Sifuna gets Linda Mwananchi backing as Orengo bid tests opposition unity

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna remains the candidate being pushed by key Linda Mwananchi leaders for the 2027 presidential race, but the movement is now facing its first serious test over who should lead it.

Suba South MP Caroli Omondi says Linda Mwananchi will enter talks with other Opposition parties with Sifuna as its preferred presidential candidate.

But that position is no longer uncontested.

Siaya Governor James Orengo, one of the movement’s senior figures, has declared that he is also interested in the presidency. His decision has opened a potentially difficult conversation within a political outfit that has been presenting itself as a vehicle for a united Opposition.

Omondi, who serves as a spokesperson for the movement, said Linda Mwananchi would first settle on its own candidate before negotiating with other Opposition formations.

“We need to be very clear on this, we will have our party as Linda Mwananchi and we will nominate Edwin Sifuna as our flagbearer,” Omondi said in an interview with Spice FM.

He said the movement would then go into wider negotiations with other parties from a position of having its own presidential candidate.

That strategy could put Linda Mwananchi at the centre of the increasingly crowded Opposition race.

Sifuna wants one Opposition candidate

Sifuna has consistently argued that the Opposition should avoid splitting its presidential vote in 2027.

In July, he said the Opposition would ultimately field one candidate against President William Ruto.

“The opposition will field one candidate to face Ruto,” Sifuna told supporters during the Linda Mwananchi tour in Trans Nzoia.

His own position has, however, evolved from caution to an increasingly open presidential campaign.

In July, Sifuna said Linda Mwananchi was consulting Kenyans before deciding whether to field a presidential candidate. He also said he would not reject a presidential bid if that was the collective decision of supporters.

Since then, his allies have openly backed him.

In July, Linda Mwananchi leaders endorsed Sifuna as their preferred presidential candidate. He has also been touring the country in an effort to build a national base beyond Nairobi and the movement’s traditional political strongholds.

That campaign returned to Nairobi on September 13, when Sifuna, Orengo, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino and other leaders led the movement through parts of the capital before a major rally.

Then came Orengo

The biggest complication is coming from inside Linda Mwananchi itself.

Orengo has said he is prepared to compete for the presidency, putting him on a potential collision course with the Sifuna camp.

The veteran politician has argued that there is nothing wrong with competition within the Opposition, provided there is a credible process for eventually settling on one candidate.

His declaration has unsettled a movement that had increasingly been associated with Sifuna's presidential ambitions.

The Star reported that the disagreement over the ticket had become a fresh challenge for Linda Mwananchi, following an earlier setback over the movement's attempt to secure its preferred political party name.

But the two sides have so far avoided an open split.

Sifuna, Orengo and Babu Owino have appeared together at recent events, projecting unity despite their different presidential calculations.

On September 10, Sifuna also led a Linda Mwananchi delegation that met Jubilee deputy party leader and presidential aspirant Fred Matiang’i. The meeting was part of a broader effort to build an Opposition alliance ahead of the election.

That means Linda Mwananchi now has to manage two conversations at the same time.

One is who gets its own presidential ticket.

The other is how that candidate fits into a much larger Opposition alliance.

Orengo and Sifuna to negotiate

Omondi said Orengo would be part of the team negotiating with other Opposition parties.

“With Siaya Governor James Orengo as our leader and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, we will lead, together with a team we will put together, to negotiate with other Opposition parties to put together a grand coalition,” he said.

That could prove politically delicate.

Orengo would be negotiating on behalf of a movement that has publicly backed Sifuna, while also having his own presidential ambitions.

The eventual Opposition negotiations are expected to involve other major contenders, including former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Matiang’i.

Sifuna has already begun holding meetings with some of the players who could become part of a broader coalition.

According to the Daily Nation, his September 10 meetings included Orengo, Matiang’i, Babu Owino and other leaders, with discussions focused on preventing disagreements over the Opposition ticket from growing into a wider political fallout.

The 2002 comparison

Omondi says Linda Mwananchi wants to borrow from one of Kenya's most successful Opposition coalition strategies.

He pointed to the 2002 General Election, when several Opposition parties united under the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) behind Mwai Kibaki.

The strategy ended KANU's long hold on power.

Kibaki won the presidency with a wide margin after the Opposition avoided the vote fragmentation seen in the 1992 and 1997 elections.

“We want to move the way it happened in 2002 elections,” Omondi said.

But recreating that formula will not be simple.

The current Opposition field has several leaders with national ambitions. Gachagua, Kalonzo and Matiang’i are among those positioning themselves for the top seat, while Sifuna and Orengo are also seeking space in the same conversation.

The challenge is therefore not simply getting Opposition leaders into the same room.

It is convincing them to accept a candidate who may not be themselves.

A political vehicle still taking shape

Linda Mwananchi is also dealing with an unresolved question over its political vehicle.

The movement has been seeking to secure its preferred name ahead of the 2027 elections.

In August, the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal allowed Sifuna's faction to reserve “The Mwananchi Party” while its appeal over the registration dispute proceeds. The tribunal also barred the Registrar of Political Parties from processing “Linda Mwananchi” or a similar name for another entity while the dispute is pending.

The case was scheduled for further proceedings on September 14.

That leaves the movement working on both its political identity and its presidential strategy as the 2027 election approaches.

The bigger test for Linda Mwananchi

For now, Sifuna has the clearest public backing within Linda Mwananchi.

Omondi has stated the position plainly: the movement intends to nominate Sifuna before entering wider coalition negotiations.

But Orengo's presidential ambitions mean the question is not completely settled.

The movement's ability to keep its senior leaders together could become as important as its ability to attract supporters outside its traditional political base.

The September 13 Nairobi rally offered one early sign of that balancing act. Sifuna, Orengo and Babu appeared together as the movement sought to demonstrate strength in the capital.

The harder question now is whether that public show of unity can survive the more difficult negotiations over the 2027 presidential ticket.

For Linda Mwananchi, the road to a grand Opposition coalition may begin with an even more immediate task: agreeing on who speaks for the movement when the presidential race gets serious.

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.