The fight over the Linda Mwananchi name is not about adding another political party to the opposition’s stable, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has said, insisting that the movement wants to protect the identity it has built among its supporters.
Sifuna said the opposition has several political parties it can use ahead of the 2027 General Election and therefore has no need to create another one.
He said the current dispute with the Registrar of Political Parties is centred on securing the Linda Mwananchi name and keeping it available for the opposition’s political activities.
Speaking in Nairobi on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, Sifuna said the opposition was forced to seek the intervention of the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT) after the Registrar rejected its application to register Linda Mwananchi.
“What we are fighting for is not a party. We have parties. We are fighting for our brand, our name,” Sifuna said.
The senator accused the Registrar of Political Parties of unfairly blocking the opposition from using the name, saying the group would continue exploring other options instead of abandoning its push.
“We have many, many options because this Kasongo thinks he’s dealing with children. We are students of Raila Odinga. Raila Odinga had Plan A, B, C… all the way to Z,” he said.
Sifuna said the Linda Mwananchi identity had not been created overnight, arguing that its growth was the result of the work and sacrifices made by its supporters.
He said the opposition therefore wants the Registrar to release the name so that it can be attached to whichever political party the leaders decide to use.
“People have lost their lives because of Linda Mwananchi. We want the registrar to give us our name, and we will brand it on whatever party that we choose out of the ones that we have,” he added.
The dispute has placed the registration of Linda Mwananchi at the centre of the opposition’s political activities as parties allied to Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Martha Karua, Eugene Wamalwa and other opposition figures work together through the movement.
Linda Mwananchi has been used as a platform for opposition mobilisation, including rallies and nationwide political tours as leaders prepare for the 2027 General Election.
The movement’s attempt to secure formal recognition as a political party hit a hurdle after the Registrar of Political Parties turned down the application.
The opposition subsequently moved to the PPDT to contest the decision.
The group has also threatened to take its protests to the Registrar’s offices if the dispute is not resolved.
During the Linda Mwananchi Meet the People tour in Busia County on Friday, August 7, 2026, Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi alleged that unnamed people were trying to take control of the name used by the movement.
Osotsi gave the Registrar until Monday, August 10, 2026, to resolve the matter and warned that supporters would thereafter hold daily meetings outside the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties.
“Ruto ametuma wakora kule kwa ofisi ya msajili wa vyama ati wanajaribu kunyakua hii jina yetu. Mimi nataka kuambia William Ruto, Article 38 inaruhusu mkenya yeyote kutengeneza chama. Na tunaambia huyu registrar kama hutapatiana hiyo jina jumatatu, tutaandaa mikutano ya kila siku kwa hiyo ofisi ya Office of Registrar of Political Parties,” Osotsi said.