Sifuna bets his political life on a presidential run

The Linda Mwananchi leader declares his 2027 candidacy, daring the established order to underestimate him.

By James Mwangi

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna yesterday declared he will contest the presidency in 2027, dismissing questions about his experience and financial resources as he formally positioned Linda Mwananchi as a vehicle capable of unseating President William Ruto.

Speaking at a church service in Donholm, Nairobi, Sifuna acknowledged the scepticism surrounding his candidacy but framed it as motivation rather than obstacle. “For now, I am receiving a lot of pressure from Kenyans to vie for the presidency. People are asking how it will happen — they say I am young and have no money. But I know God’s guidance will lead me. I will be the first one-term senator to become president,” he said.

The declaration carries weight beyond personal ambition. The Registrar of Political Parties is currently processing a proposed name change from the Equitable Party to the Linda Mwananchi Movement, giving Sifuna’s political vehicle a formal identity and a platform with less than ten months before polling day. It is an audacious timeline by any standard, and Sifuna showed no inclination to moderate his ambition to fit it. “We are changing how Kenyan politics is run. It is possible to make Linda Mwananchi popular across the country in less than ten months and win the presidency,” he said, adding that he had been forcefully removed from ODM but remained undeterred.

Embakasi East MP Babu Owino used the occasion to press for broader opposition unity, warning that fragmentation would hand Ruto a structural advantage he would exploit without hesitation. “We urge the entire opposition — from Gachagua to Kalonzo to Matiang’i — to unite so that Kenyans can have a new beginning in 2027,” Owino said, framing consolidation not as a preference but as an electoral necessity.

Sifuna also accused the government of deploying security withdrawals as instruments of political intimidation, citing the cases of Siaya Governor James Orengo and Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya, whose security detail was pulled amid a bitter public dispute with Ruto over credit for county development projects. “We will not kneel before that pharaoh,” Sifuna said, in language that drew a sharp line between his movement and the presidency.

Whether Linda Mwananchi can translate street energy and church-hall declarations into a credible national campaign in the months available remains the defining question. Sifuna has answered the first one: he is running, and he intends to be taken seriously.

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