Sifuna Says Life Has Changed Dramatically as Linda Mwananchi Clears Key Legal Hurdle

NAIROBI, Kenya — Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna says the past year has changed almost every part of his political life, from where he can go in Nairobi to the security around him.

But as his personal freedom has narrowed, his political ambitions have widened.

Speaking in the Senate on Wednesday, Sifuna said his movements had become "extremely restricted" and claimed he had been under 24-hour surveillance.

He was speaking during debate on the nomination of Fatuma Ibrahim Ali as the female non-MP commissioner to the Parliamentary Service Commission.

Sifuna used the moment to reflect on how quickly his political circumstances had shifted.

"If you had come to Nairobi a year ago, I would have taken personal responsibility for showing you around Nairobi," he told Ali.

"But my life has changed dramatically in the last 12 months. My movement is extremely restricted, I'm under 24-hour surveillance, many people in many of the spots that I used to visit have not seen me in over 12 months."

The remarks underline the extent to which Sifuna's political profile has changed since his break with sections of the Orange Democratic Movement over the party's participation in the broad-based government arrangement.

He is now positioning himself for the 2027 presidential race under the Linda Mwananchi banner.

'In the next 11 months'

Sifuna did not present his political future as uncertain.

Instead, he told Ali that he expected their circumstances to look very different within months.

"I want to give this assurance that in the next 11 months, I will be welcoming you back to Nairobi," he said.

He also drew a parallel between his own political journey and the movement of politicians between government and opposition.

"Just as it is possible for people to move from government to opposition, it is also possible that a former SG of an opposition party will move to government in the next 11 months," he said.

Sifuna was referring to his former position as ODM secretary-general.

He later added that an administration formed by the current opposition would honour its commitments to Kenyans.

"We intend to keep every promise to the people of Kenya, including the promise that I have just made," he said.

His remarks were political in tone, but they also offered a glimpse into how he sees the next phase of his career — not simply as a change of party or political alignment, but as a possible route to government.

Linda Mwananchi gets a crucial legal opening

The comments came a day after the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal delivered a significant ruling over the Linda Mwananchi name.

The Tribunal set aside the Registrar of Political Parties' decision to reject an application to reserve the name Linda Mwananchi Movement.

It directed the Registrar to reserve the name and its abbreviation, LMM, within seven days.

The case was brought by Caroli Omondi, Pauline Njoroge and Faith Odhiambo, who identify themselves as founders of the proposed political party.

The Tribunal found that the Registrar's August 7 decision had no legal justification and amounted to an unjustified restriction on the applicants' efforts to form or participate in forming a political party.

The ruling also dealt with a competing entity known as the Liberty National Democratic Alliance, or LINDA.

The Tribunal found that LINDA was not fully registered and therefore lacked the legal capacity to participate in the proceedings in its own name.

The decision removes an important legal obstacle for the Sifuna-aligned political movement.

But it does not mean a new party has already been registered.

Linda Mwananchi still has to navigate the formal registration and compliance process before it can operate as a political party for the 2027 election. The group is also facing statutory deadlines as the electoral calendar moves closer.

From political movement to election vehicle

The legal victory comes at a significant point in Sifuna's political journey.

Linda Mwananchi endorsed him as its presidential candidate at a leadership meeting on September 26.

The movement said it would unveil the political party it intends to use for the 2027 presidential campaign in early October. It has also said it wants to work with other parties in a broader coalition.

That means the immediate challenge is no longer simply building Sifuna's national profile.

It is turning the movement around him into an organisation that can meet the legal, organisational and electoral requirements of a national campaign.

The Tribunal ruling gives the group more room to do that.

It does not, however, settle the wider question of how the opposition will organise itself for 2027.

Several political figures are pursuing their own presidential ambitions, while different opposition formations are working on separate political vehicles and coalition arrangements.

A very different Sifuna from a year ago

Sifuna's political rise has been unusually visible over the past year.

He moved from being a senior official within ODM to one of the party's prominent critics after opposing its cooperation with President William Ruto's administration.

His political disagreements eventually affected his position in Parliament.

He has since become one of the leading figures associated with Linda Mwananchi, a movement that is presenting itself as a vehicle for a wider political challenge ahead of the 2027 election.

That transition helps explain his comments in the Senate.

A year ago, he was speaking largely from within an established opposition party.

Today, he is attempting to build a political vehicle of his own.

And the timetable is tightening.

The next 11 months that Sifuna referred to will take him deep into the preparations for the 2027 General Election.

For now, the Tribunal has cleared one legal hurdle.

The harder political work — building structures, completing registration requirements, forming alliances and persuading voters — lies ahead.

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.