Tribunal clears way for Sifuna’s Linda Mwananchi delegates conference
Nairobi Senator and Linda Mwananchi movement leader Edwin Sifuna speaking during a Sunday service at Jesus Teaching Ministry in Nairobi, on October 18, 2026.
The Political Parties Disputes Tribunal has cleared The Equitable Party to hold its National Delegates Conference on Friday, allowing Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna’s plan to rebrand the party as the Linda Mwananchi Movement to proceed despite a legal challenge.
The tribunal dismissed an objection by party members Paul Kiragu Gachoka and Pamela Achieng Simwata, who argued that the conference was unconstitutional because the party lacked a properly constituted electoral college from which delegates could be drawn.
However, the tribunal directed that their substantive complaint proceed to a full hearing, leaving open the possibility of overturning decisions made at the conference.
The tribunal said it could still reverse resolutions passed by the delegates if the case proceedings established grounds for doing so.
The decision means the November 13 meeting can take place, but it does not amount to a finding that the party followed its constitution in convening the conference or selecting delegates.
The complainants had asked the tribunal to stop the meeting, arguing that the party had not followed its rules in approving the agenda, selecting delegates and preparing to amend its governing documents.
Their challenge followed an October 23 public notice announcing the conference and proposed changes to the party’s name, symbol, headquarters and colours.
Mr Sifuna unveiled The Equitable Party on October 4, 2026, as his political vehicle after disassociating from the Orange Democratic Movement, where he served as secretary-general. The party’s National Executive Committee approved a proposed change of name to Linda Mwananchi Movement on October 8.
The proposed conference agenda also includes amendments to the party constitution and its nomination and election rules, as well as possible coalition arrangements ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The complainants argued that the National Governing Council had not approved the agenda, as required by the party constitution. Their lawyer, Eddy Otieno, told the tribunal that only items approved by the council could be discussed at an ordinary National Delegates Conference.
Mr Otieno also questioned whether the party had appointed a National Elections Board and established the structures required to constitute the conference.
Seeking orders to stop the meeting, he warned that substantial changes could be made before the tribunal determined whether the conference had been properly convened.
“The difficulty that will arise then is that if the honourable court finds that the NDC was not properly convened according to the party constitution, then the party would have already undergone substantial institutional changes,” he said.
The party opposed the application, arguing that the complainants had failed to exhaust their internal dispute-resolution process and had not established that they were genuine members.
Its lawyer, Duncan Anzala, said the two joined the party on October 22 and objected to the proposed name change the following day. He said they had been invited to a meeting to address their concerns but did not attend.
Mr Anzala accused them of joining the party to delay its preparations for the 2027 elections.
“There are parties who are joining the political party with a view to trying to delay that process. I would lump the complainants among those parties,” he told the Tribunal.
He said the party had no elected MPs or governors from the 2022 elections, explaining why parliamentary and governors’ groups were not represented in the conference structure. He also cited the party constitution’s provision requiring 30 per cent of eligible members for quorum.
The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties told the Tribunal that it had received the objections and forwarded them to the party. It said it reviewed the party’s response and considered the objections to have been handled under the party constitution.
The Registrar was awaiting the conference returns before assessing the proposed changes and determining the next steps in the registration process.
A separate complaint by James Onyango Nyangor had challenged proposed elections at the conference. The party assured the Tribunal that no elections would be held on November 13, after which his application seeking to stop the polls was marked as compromised.
The Friday conference will therefore proceed without the proposed elections, while the challenge by Mr Gachoka and Ms Simwata remains before the Tribunal.
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