Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka says delays by the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) in registering Linda Mwananchi have forced members of the movement to explore alternative political parties ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Speaking on NTV on Monday, the Senator said the movement had spent months trying to secure its preferred party name, arguing that the emergence of separate parties linked to some of its members was a consequence of the registration dispute rather than a rush to establish competing political vehicles.
“What you see happening is not that people were busy rushing to set up their political party. This is a consequence of the ORPP refusing to register the party in the first place,” Onyonka said.
He claimed the process had taken “pretty close to seven months”, making it difficult for the movement to establish a formal political structure.
Onyonka said Linda Mwananchi already had a network of 34 county chairpersons and other grassroots structures that could support the movement once it secures a registered political party.
“There is already a team that is on the ground who have already coordinated themselves, but we need a political party which is registered,” he said.
He said alternative parties formed by members could eventually be brought together under one political vehicle after the movement settles on its preferred structure.
“If any of them can actually get registered, we can use that registration to now make it become part of Linda,” he said.
Onyonka said leaders were also expected to determine which party would be adopted, who would serve as interim officials and how the movement would organise itself ahead of the elections.
He said a planned retreat after the Jacaranda rally was expected to help resolve some of those questions.
The registration dispute is now before the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal, after promoters of Linda Mwananchi challenged the Registrar's decision to reject their application to reserve the name.
The applicants said their June 4 application was initially rejected on “public interest” grounds before the Registrar reversed course following a meeting on August 4, only to withdraw the decision three days later citing an existing political outfit, Liberty National Democratic Alliance (LINDA).
The Tribunal subsequently allowed the Sifuna-led team to reserve “The Mwananchi Party” while permitting the registration process for LINDA to continue pending determination of the dispute.
The Tribunal has since concluded the hearing and is scheduled to deliver its decision on September 30, 2026, on whether the Registrar acted lawfully in rejecting the Linda Mwananchi registration bid.
The Registrar of Political Parties, John Cox Lorionokou, has denied refusing to register the party, saying the issue is before the Tribunal and that his office is awaiting the decision.