Sifuna Adopts TEP for 2027 Bid as Osotsi Claims 600,000 Sign-Ups in Just Two Hours

Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi has claimed that over 600,000 people registered as members of The Equitable Party (TEP) within two hours of its official unveiling as Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna’s presidential vehicle for the 2027 General Election.

Speaking on Sunday, October 4, 2026, during TEP’s launch in Nairobi, Osotsi, a key ally within the Linda Mwananchi Movement, stated that the overwhelming sign-up rate caused an immediate disruption to the online registration system.

“Kwa hizi masaa mawili tumekuwa hapa, watu elfu mia sita walikuwa wame-register. Alafu yule Registrar, amesimamisha hiyo mitandao ya register,” Osotsi said.

The senator challenged the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) to restore access to the registration portal promptly, warning that party supporters would march to the registrar’s offices if the platform remained offline.

“Tunakuambia Registrar, hiyo mtandao usiporudisha leo, sisi tutatembelea wewe,” he added.

Osotsi did not provide a detailed breakdown for the claimed 600,000 registrations, and the figure could not be independently verified at the time of publication.

His assertions coincided with Sifuna’s formal adoption of TEP as his party platform to mount a presidential challenge in 2027 following his exit from the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).

In addition to the registration claims, Osotsi stated that 35 county branch networks previously affiliated with ODM had shifted allegiance to TEP. Pointing to the delegation of regional leaders present at the venue, he cited the mass migration as evidence of the movement’s rapid nationwide expansion.

“Na sasa leo matangazo ingine ni kwamba branches county 35 ambao ilikuwa ya ODM wameingia kwa hii chama, wako hapa,” Osotsi said.

He specifically singled out a senior Turkana political figure, identifying him as a former ODM county chairperson who had formally defected to TEP alongside his local support base.

“Hata nimeona …, ambaye ni chairman, alikuwa chairman wa ODM kule Turkana, sasa yupo hapa na watu wake wameingia ndani ya TEP,” he noted.

The launch event brought together prominent opposition figures associated with the Linda Mwananchi Movement, including Siaya Governor James Orengo, Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya, Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale, Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka, and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino.

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