The political group associated with Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has secured a temporary legal reprieve in its fight to keep the name “The Mwananchi Party” as it weighs its political vehicle ahead of the 2027 elections.
The Political Parties Disputes Tribunal has allowed the Linda Mwananchi faction to reserve the name while its appeal against the registration dispute proceeds. The tribunal also cleared the reservation and registration of the Liberty National Democratic Alliance, known as LINDA, to continue pending the outcome of the case.
The orders were issued during a virtual hearing. The Registrar of Political Parties was also directed not to process, reserve or register “Linda Mwananchi” or a similar name for another person or organisation until the dispute is resolved.
The case will return to the tribunal on September 14 at 2.30pm.
At the heart of the dispute is the political identity claimed by the two groups.
Sifuna has said his faction is not necessarily seeking to create another political party. Instead, he says, it wants to preserve a political brand it has built.
“We are fighting for a brand, our name,” Sifuna said at Ufungamano House in Nairobi on Tuesday. “We have parties. We want our brand.”
He also invoked the legacy of the late opposition leader Raila Odinga, saying the group had learnt to keep its political options open.
“We are political children of Raila Odinga. Raila Odinga has plans A, B, C, D, E, F, G up to Z,” Sifuna said.
Officials of LINDA, led by party leader Phanesio Thuku, have maintained that the Liberty National Democratic Alliance is their organisation’s name.
The two sides later agreed to a consent allowing both “The Mwananchi Party” and LINDA to proceed with reservation and registration while the legal dispute is pending.
The dispute comes at a sensitive moment for Sifuna and his allies. Political parties preparing to take part in the 2027 General Election face a series of deadlines set by the electoral commission.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission has required parties intending to participate in the election to submit the names and specimen signatures of their authorized officials by October 15, 2026. Nomination rules certified by the Registrar of Political Parties are due by October 30.
The timetable has raised questions about whether Sifuna’s faction has enough time to settle on a political vehicle and complete the necessary registration requirements.
Democratic Congress Party deputy leader Cleophas Malala has argued that registering a new party within the remaining period would be difficult.
Malala has instead urged Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale to hand over his existing party to Sifuna.
“Within 50 days, you cannot register a political party,” Malala said, calling on Khalwale to surrender the party if he was committed to Sifuna’s political ambitions.
Khalwale has publicly linked himself to a newly registered political party.
Sifuna, meanwhile, has sought to calm supporters who fear the movement could be left without a vehicle for the 2027 elections. He has said the group is prepared and will announce its political platform when the time is right.
The dispute over the name has therefore become more than a question of branding. With election deadlines approaching, it could also determine how the movement translates its growing political presence into a formal vehicle for the ballot.
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