Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has made his most explicit pitch yet for the presidency, telling a packed rally in the capital that he intends to challenge President William Ruto in 2027.
Speaking at Marikiti Market on Sunday during the Linda Mwananchi movement’s first major mobilisation tour of Nairobi, Sifuna said feedback from his countrywide travels had convinced him that voters wanted him to take a bigger role.
“I want to tell Nairobi, other parts of the country want to give me another job,” Sifuna said. “Do you know the job they want me to take?”
The senator was direct about his target. “This administration should get one term,” he said. “Their time is up.”
A Call for Opposition Unity
Sifuna acknowledged that unseating Ruto would not be easy. He called for cooperation between himself, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and other opposition figures.
“It will not be easy. We must walk together,” he said.
The rally drew a broad coalition of opposition politicians from across the country, including Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale, Siaya Governor James Orengo, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino and former Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza.
Orengo took aim at Ruto directly, claiming the President was courting support in Kisumu despite having little following there.
Babu’s Nairobi Pitch
Babu Owino used the platform to launch his own bid for Nairobi governor in 2027. He promised to tackle garbage collection, water shortages and healthcare if elected.
“You are told you have a governor,” Babu said, referring to incumbent Johnson Sakaja. “What kind of governor stays at City Hall while Marikiti is full of filth?”
A Movement Under Scrutiny
The Linda Mwananchi tour has drawn large crowds in previous stops, but not without controversy. An August rally in Homa Bay turned violent, leaving two people dead.
Security was heavy in Nairobi on Sunday, with police deployed across the city and some businesses closing early.
The movement now faces a critical question: can Sifuna translate street energy into a serious national campaign? Veteran trade unionist Francis Atwoli suggested last week that the senator’s time had not yet come.
“The time is not now for Edwin Sifuna,” Atwoli said. “We recognise his introduction.”
Sifuna’s allies disagree. Former UNCTAD secretary-general Mukhisa Kituyi said the senator had energised a young, non-tribal voting bloc that other politicians had failed to reach.
That constituency, Kituyi argued, could prove decisive. Whether it can be mobilised behind a single opposition candidate remains the defining question of the 2027 race.
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