The Linda Mwananchi team associated with Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna and Siaya Governor James Orengo is pursuing a dual-track political strategy – mobilising a grassroots movement under the same banner while deliberately keeping the 2027 succession question open, including the possibility of a presidential bid by the Nairobi senator.
Siaya Governor James Orengo addresses a Linda Mwananchi political rally at Amalemba Grounds in Kakamega on February 21, 2026.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation Media Group
“Our plan is to build a movement that will awaken the spirit of the nation. We need to make Kenyans see that things can be different,” Mr Sifuna told the Sunday Nation.
Observers say the Sifuna-Orengo axis is redefining the internal dynamics of ODM and reshaping calculations for the 2027 race.
Framed as a people-centred reform initiative under the Linda Mwananchi banner, the camp insists its mission is to awaken civic consciousness, restore constitutional governance and reconnect political leadership to grassroots realities.
On one hand, the movement is building momentum through structured nationwide consultations and mobilisation tours aimed at consolidating support.
On the other, it is keeping its long-term options open, including the possibility – however cautiously expressed – of a presidential bid by Mr Sifuna, or further still, a presidential running mate in a coalition of like-minded partners.
Multimedia University of Kenya lecturer, Gitile Naituli, singles out Mr Sifuna as a figure to watch in the unfolding alignments, arguing that his rising profile in opposition politics could alter the presidential race dynamics.
The Linda Mwananchi leaders, led by Siaya Governor James Orengo and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna address the meeting amid high tension as police are trying to gain access to discontinue the meeting.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi| Nation Media Group
According to Prof Naituli, the senator’s growing influence positions him as a potentially decisive player in shaping a united opposition strategy against President Ruto.
“Mr Sifuna is the man to watch,” Prof Naituli said, adding that a Musyoka-Sifuna ticket would pose a serious challenge to the incumbent.
“That will send President Ruto home very early in the morning,” Prof Naituli said.
The United Opposition appears to have taken note of Mr Sifuna’s growing profile, with its spokesperson Mukhisa Kituyi, acknowledging his emergence as an important player whose camp is being considered in the ongoing consultations.
“There is the new kid on the block – Sifuna and his team. We have to talk to them and see the next steps they are making,” Dr Kituyi told the Sunday Nation, signalling an open door to engagement with Linda Mwananchi.
His remarks suggest that opposition leaders are increasingly factoring in the Linda Mwananchi movement in their 2027 calculations as they seek unity.
Governor Orengo said Linda Mwananchi would continue pushing for reforms from inside ODM, adding that the party’s cooperation with President Ruto is undermining its ideals and the legacy of its founder, Raila Odinga, who died in October last year.
Pressed on the 2027 plans, Mr Orengo said his team is not planning an exit from ODM, but an internal contest to reclaim its ideological direction.
“Basically, we are still members of ODM. We are struggling and fighting within the party,” the Siaya county boss said.
He took aim at the evolving relationship between ODM and the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA), saying it erodes the party’s identity.
“ODM was founded on social democratic principles, with a strong agenda for justice, the Bill of Rights and good governance. That has been compromised,” he added.
On the 2027 strategy, the Siaya governor insisted that ODM must keep its options open even as disputes over direction intensify.
Siaya Governor James Orengo (right) and ODM Edwin Sifuna address residents of Ugunja town during a public rally by Linda Mwananchi faction on February 8, 2026.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation Media Group
“We cannot close the door on the question of a presidential candidate. ODM has always been a national party with a clear programme for leadership. That must remain on the table,” Mr Orengo said.
Proponents of this position say fronting a candidate would not only re-energise the party’s grassroots base but also provide a rallying point for like-minded formations disillusioned with the current political alignments.
They say that without a presidential flagbearer, ODM risks ceding ground to rival formations ahead of what is expected to be a fiercely contested race in 2027.
“If you don’t put forward a candidate, you effectively surrender the political space. The party must give its supporters a clear direction and a candidate they can rally behind,” Mr Orengo said.
Senior Linda Mwananchi figures like Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino say the immediate focus remains long-term political transformation rather than electoral positioning.
Deepening the intrigue, Mr Sifuna has hinted at possible working relations with the Mr Gachagua-led United Opposition, while the camp continues to factor the Linda Mwananchi initiative into its 2027 calculations.
Analysts say the Linda Mwananchi brigade is emerging as a reformist voice and potential power centre – blending ideological mobilisation with strategic positioning in a rapidly evolving opposition landscape.
Mr Sifuna told the Sunday Nation that the country can be better governed if leadership is anchored on the values enshrined in the Constitution, adding that the Linda Mwananchi programme is meant to transform into a force for the “much-desired change”.
“We want a country that is run on constitutional values. Linda Mwananchi must become a force that delivers the change Kenyans are demanding,” the senator said.
The Linda Mwananchi team during a rally at Tononoka Grounds in Mombasa on March 29, 2026.
“No political direction will be taken without consulting citizens through grassroots forums across the country. As Baba (Odinga) taught us, no decisions can be made without the people,” he said.
“Our tours at the grassroots are meant to ascertain where the people stand on the issues of the day.”
That has translated into a tightly sequenced national tour that began with the launch of Linda Mwananchi movement in Busia on February 8.
The team addressed a rally in Kitengela, Kajiado County, on February 15, amid teargas by the police, followed by another at Amalemba Grounds in Kakamega on February 21.
The Linda Mwananchi leaders held rallies in Mombasa on March 1, Makueni on March 8 and had a parallel ODM delegates meeting at Ufungamano House on March 27, as Dr Oginga’s Linda Ground team had its meeting at Jamhuri Showground, both in Nairobi.
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Siaya Governor James Orengo at a past event.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
The team is expected in Nakuru today before returning to Western Kenya with a rally in Vihiga County on April 25 and another in Kisumu the following day.
“The city (Kisumu) is fully energised for the Linda Mwananchi rally,” Governor Orengo said.
Mr Osotsi told the Sunday Nation that Linda Mwananchi is primarily focused on building a long-term people-centred force aimed at driving structural change in the country.
The Vihiga senator added that the initiative is anchored on civic mobilisation and grassroots engagement, rather than immediate electoral positioning, though he added that the movement has leaders capable of mounting strong presidential bids.
“Our focus is to build a real people-centred political movement that will provide lasting change for the benefit of Kenyans,” Mr Osotsi said.
He added that while the 2027 General Election remains significant, it is not the sole objective of the group.
“Next year is important, but our vision is long-term,” he said, adding that leadership decisions would be made at an “appropriate time”.
“We have quality personalities who can be serious presidential candidates, but we will deal with that at the right moment,” the lawmaker said.
Mr Owino said Linda Mwananchi is driven by a reformist agenda centred on economic relief, job creation and improved public services, which he contrasted with what he described as opportunistic politics in the broad-based political arrangement between UDA and the Dr Oginga faction of the Orange party.
“They are on a mission to eat while Linda Mwananchi has a vision to fight for Kenyans,” the Embakasi East MP said, arguing that focus should be on reducing the cost of living, lowering taxes and expanding access to quality education and healthcare.
Saboti MP, Caleb Amisi, said the camp is negotiating from a position of strength, dismissing the rival ODM faction as weakened politically.
He argued that the Dr Oginga team has little leverage in its engagements with President Ruto and UDA.
“There is nothing left from a weak ODM to negotiate with President Ruto, and he knows that,” Mr Amisi said.
Odinga’s lawyer, Paul Mwangi, recently said Linda Mwananchi has followed in the footsteps of late ODM leader’s broader political design, which he described as a calculated strategy balancing engagement with exit options in his dealings with Dr Ruto.
“What you’re witnessing is a contest between two Odinga brigades – a political-diplomatic faction and a militant faction,” Mr Mwangi said.
“Odinga was a multifaceted political character, and each group reflects a different aspect of his legacy. He would not engage in anything without an exit plan. When engagements failed or tensions arose, he would revert to the militant faction.”
Former Deputy President Gachagua has begun shaping narratives in the opposition, hinting at alliances and possible candidates as positioning for 2027 intensifies.
During an interview on NTV’s “Fixing the Nation” two months ago, Mr Sifuna also talked of a possible working relationship with the United Opposition.
Acknowledging that beating President Ruto would not be easy, the senator called for a united front against the Kenya Kwanza second-term bid, with the aim of addressing challenges that could split votes.
“We know it is not easy. We are up against a wild politician. You must give him his flowers, and he knows his turf. We must admit that Ruto has some strengths and agree that those strengths do not allow much room for sentiments in the opposition ranks,” he said.
