The dispute over who can lay claim to the Ukombozi political name has intensified, with Wiper Patriotic Front spokesperson Ndegwa Njiru demanding evidence that Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna secured the name through the Registrar of Political Parties.
Njiru questioned Sifuna’s alleged claim to the name on Tuesday night in a statement, putting the senator’s allies on the spot as rival political camps seek to establish their positions ahead of the 2027 General Election.
“Mr. Sifuna has never reserved the name UKOMBOZI with the Registrar of Political Parties. I challenge anyone with evidence to the contrary to produce it,” Njiru said.
His remarks came shortly after Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka announced that the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition had adopted a new identity, The Ukombozi Alliance (TUA).
Kalonzo said the decision had been agreed on unanimously as part of efforts to reorganise the coalition and its political activities.
The announcement has now brought the Ukombozi name into sharper focus, with Kalonzo’s allies defending the coalition’s use of the identity while Sifuna’s camp continues to pursue a political vehicle for the Linda Mwananchi movement.
The disagreement has also opened fresh questions about earlier attempts to reserve and register political parties bearing the Ukombozi name.
Records from the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) show that on March 13, 2025, the name Ukombozi People’s Party was approved for reservation to an applicant identified as Allan Jayuga Akivaga.
The reservation was granted for 90 days.
The Registrar later linked Ukombozi People’s Party to a party registration process dating back to 2025.
However, the ORPP gave a different response when the United Democratic Party (UDP) sought to change its name to Ukombozi People’s Party (UPP).
In its September 8, 2026 response, the Registrar said UDP had not been authorised to use the Ukombozi People’s Party name. The office also pointed to the similarity between the proposed name and The Ukombozi Alliance, which had been reserved by another applicant on July 20, 2026.
The records have since become part of the competing claims over the history of the Ukombozi identity and the political groups seeking to use it.
Njiru has previously argued that Kalonzo had embraced the Ukombozi concept before it became the subject of the current political dispute.
He cited the phrase “Komboa Kenya”, which he said Kalonzo had adopted and promoted earlier.
“Records show that as early as April 2025, while Sifuna was still ODM Secretary-General, Musyoka had already adopted and promoted the term. The word Ukomboa has given birth to Ukombozi,” Njiru said in remarks reported on September 22.
The claim forms part of the Wiper camp’s argument in support of Kalonzo’s adoption of The Ukombozi Alliance name.
DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa has also said the coalition secured reservation of The Ukombozi Alliance name before UDP sought to rebrand itself as Ukombozi People’s Party.
While the name dispute continues, Sifuna’s allies have maintained that their plans to create a political vehicle for Linda Mwananchi have not been abandoned.
Funyula MP Wilberforce Oundo Mudenyo said the movement would unveil its next political vehicle.
Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi has also indicated that Sifuna’s political vehicle could be drawn from an existing party or established as a new party.
Osotsi said the identity of the party would be revealed within two weeks.
The Sifuna camp is therefore weighing several existing parties as possible vehicles following the rejection of the proposed Ukombozi name.
The disagreement comes against the backdrop of continued political reorganisation ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Kalonzo’s Ukombozi Alliance now brings together leaders who previously operated under the Azimio coalition, while Sifuna’s Linda Mwananchi movement is pursuing its own political structure.
The contest over the Ukombozi identity has consequently emerged as one of the issues shaping discussions over party structures, political branding and possible opposition alignments ahead of the polls.