The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties has officially approved the reservation of the Linda Mwananchi Movement (LMM) name, marking a significant win for Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna’s political ambitions ahead of the 2027 General Election.
In a letter dated Thursday, October 1, Registrar John Lorionkou confirmed that the decision followed the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal’s (PPDT) ruling ordering the name to be reserved within seven days.
“The reservation of the name shall be for a period of not more than 90 days from the date of this letter,” the Registrar stated.
The approval grants the movement a statutory window to complete the full provisional and formal political party registration process. Sifuna, who shared the letter with the witty caption “wametii,” is expected to make an official pronouncement on his presidential bid in the coming days.
The Tribunal had earlier found that the Registrar’s decision to decline the name reservation was “without legal justification” and amounted to a denial of the applicants’ right to form a political party. The PPDT also determined that Linda Mwananchi was distinct from the rival Liberty National Democratic Alliance (LINDA), whose prior reservation had already lapsed by operation of law.
The dispute had also drawn in Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, who faced questions over the registration of The Mwananchi Party (TMP). Babu clarified that he began pursuing his political platform after deciding to run for the Nairobi gubernatorial seat in February 2025, predating the Linda Mwananchi Movement’s formation.
With the name now reserved, Sifuna and his allies—including Suba South MP Caroli Omondi, political activist Pauline Njoroge, and former Law Society of Kenya president Faith Odhiambo—can proceed with formalizing the political vehicle ahead of the 2027 elections.