Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has sought to clarify how The Mwananchi Party acquired its name, releasing details of the registration process amid questions over the political vehicle linked to the Linda Mwananchi movement.
In a statement on Thursday, the party said its change of name from Muungano Party to The Mwananchi Party followed a process at the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) that was already under way when leaders of Linda Mwananchi sought to register their movement.
The party said principals of Linda Mwananchi visited the ORPP on August 4 to seek clarification about the availability of the name and the registration process.
At the time, it said, the matter was still being handled by the Registrar.
The proposed change from Muungano Party to The Mwananchi Party was subsequently published in Gazette Notice No. 13935 on August 28.
An objection was filed two days later by Lawrence Nzunga. According to correspondence from the Registrar cited by several Kenyan news outlets, Nzunga withdrew the objection on September 8 after saying his concerns had been addressed.
The Registrar then confirmed on September 10 that the change of name had taken effect under the Political Parties Act.
The chronology has become politically significant because Linda Mwananchi has been seeking recognition as a political party ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The Registrar, John Cox Lorionokou, has previously said the dispute over Linda Mwananchi’s registration was before the courts. He has also denied claims that his office simply refused to register the movement.
Babu has also offered his own account of when he decided to establish a political vehicle.
He traced the decision to February 10, 2025, when ODM leaders gathered at the Bomas of Kenya. Babu said he had expected the gathering to be a prayer meeting linked to Raila Odinga’s campaign for the African Union Commission chairmanship.
Instead, he said, he found leaders endorsing Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja for a second term.
“From that day, because I knew that ODM would never give me a chance to contest as Governor of Nairobi, I decided that I would have my own political party,” Babu said.
He said he made three unsuccessful attempts to register a party before succeeding on his fourth attempt earlier this year.
“At the fourth attempt, I managed to get a party, early this year. That is long before Linda Mwananchi came into being,” he said.
Babu has previously maintained that his political ambitions do not conflict with those of Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, who has been associated with the Linda Mwananchi movement and is seeking the presidency in 2027. Babu has said he intends to run for Nairobi governor.
The latest clarification is therefore centred on timing: The Mwananchi Party’s current name took effect on September 10 after the formal change from Muungano Party, while the dispute over Linda Mwananchi’s registration remains a separate matter.
The party said the public should consider the official correspondence and chronology when assessing the dispute.
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