Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has received a reprieve after the Registrar of Political Parties approved the reservation of Linda Mwananchi Movement (LMM), the political vehicle he has been developing since his break with the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party.
The name approval follows the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal’s September 30 judgement setting aside the Registrar’s earlier refusal and ordering reconsideration of the application.
“Pursuant to the judgment in PPDTA/E001/2026 Michael Caroli Omondi & Another Vs Registrar of Political Parties and Section 8 of the PPA, your application for the name Linda Mwananchi Movement (LMM) has been approved," said the Registrar and Chief Executive, John Lorionokou, in the letter dated October 1, 2026.
The approval gives the LMM name a fresh 90-day reservation period, during which it remains reserved as Sifuna’s political vehicle while the next steps towards registration are pursued. It does not amount to full registration of LMM as a political party.
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The development comes just two weeks before the October 15 IEBC deadline for political parties intending to participate in the 2027 General Election to submit the names and specimen signatures of their authorised officials to the Commission.
The Tribunal’s judgment followed an appeal by Suba South MP Michael Caroli Omondi, Pauline Njoki Njoroge and Faith Odhiambo against the Registrar’s refusal to reserve Linda Mwananchi and its variations.
The applicants had proposed at least six names: Linda Mwananchi Alliance (LMA), Linda Mwananchi Alliance of Kenya (LMAK), Linda Mwananchi Coalition (LMC), Linda Mwananchi Party (LMP), Linda Mwananchi Party of Kenya (LMPK), and Linda Mwananchi People’s Party.
The Registrar had rejected the applications in June and again on August 7, initially citing public interest and later pointing to the existence of Liberty National Democratic Alliance, known as LINDA.
“The respondent did not explain what public interest consideration informed its decision,” the judgment states.
The panel also ruled that LINDA’s reservation, made on November 15, 2024, had expired after the statutory 90-day period.
“We find that the reservation of Liberty National Democratic Alliance, LINDA, automatically lapsed by operation of law, and therefore, no administrative act or decision by the Registrar can breathe life into it,” the Tribunal said.
The panel further found Linda Mwananchi and Liberty National Democratic Alliance were different names, with no common words and distinct visual, phonetic and conceptual features.
The Tribunal also noted that more than 25 registered parties shared the word Democratic or variations of it, alongside common words such as National, Alliance and Movement.
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The decision was delivered as political parties prepare for regulatory deadlines linked to the 2027 General Election and other requirements ahead of elections.
The Tribunal said the refusal to reserve Linda Mwananchi while reserving The Mwananchi Party on August 3 was inconsistent with the Registrar’s established practice.
It declared the August 7 decision without legal justification, set it aside and directed the Registrar to reconsider the application within seven days.
The fresh approval, however, comes as another applicant raises a separate claim over the Linda Mwananchi name.
Lawyers for a person named Charles Wanyonyi wrote to the Registrar on October 1, demanding priority for his application for reservation of the name 'Linda Mwananchi Party of Kenya', which they say was filed on February 24, 2026.
In the letter, Mr Wanyonyi’s lawyers argue that his application predates the June 4 applications considered by the Tribunal by more than three months.
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna addresses residents during a Linda Mwananchi rally in Butula, Busia County, on August 7, 2026.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation Media Group
They invoked Section 4B of the Political Parties Act and demanded written confirmation within seven days that Mr Wanyonyi’s proposed name has been reserved.
The Registrar had rejected his application, citing alleged similarity to the reserved slogan “Linda Mkenya, Boresha Kenya” and public-interest concerns.
The Registrar’s October 1 approval letter does not refer to Wanyonyi’s application or his demand for priority.
Meanwhile, the political uncertainty around Mr Sifuna’s possible use of another vehicle, the United Democratic Party (UDP), has also moved to the Tribunal.
The Tribunal issued temporary injunctions yesterday in complaints by UDP members Adow Mohammed Abukar and Manasseh Kuria Kweya challenging the reported appointment of Mukasa Mwambu Muliro as party leader and presidential flag bearer.
The twin orders barred the respondents from appointing, co-opting or unveiling Mr Muliro or another person as party leader or presidential flag bearer except in accordance with the UDP Constitution.
They also restrain the party from rebranding or renaming UDP and bars submission of any person’s name to the Registrar as party leader or presidential flag bearer under the disputed process.
Recently, the Registrar of Political Parties also rejected plans to rebrand UDP as the Ukombozi People’s Party (UPP). Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya, an ally of Mr Sifuna in Linda Mwananchi, subsequently said the senator would use UDP as his 2027 political vehicle, with an unveiling planned for early October.
Both complaints are scheduled for mention on October 5. The UDP disputes follow the death of former party leader Cyrus Jirongo in December 2025 and disagreements over the party’s leadership and proposed rebranding.
