Azimio la Umoja coalition rebrands to Ukombozi Alliance, to be chaired by Uhuru
After President William Ruto took his campaigns to the USA attending UNGA meeting, the United Opposition felt it was their time to storm the country and make themselves at least visible to Kenyans who they are supposed to convince to vote for them in 2027.
As Kenyans have seen the opposition leaders storming the country has been their endless meetings and consultations talking about themselves and then hunting for the media to remind Kenyans that they are somewhere in the country and may still need their votes pretty soon in an election which is less than a year from today.
In the media today, Azimio leaders welcomed the High Court ruling declaring unconstitutional restrictions on the political participation of retired presidents.
The leaders said the decision affirms former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s right to remain active in politics.
United opposition leaders spoke at the SKM Command Centre in Karen, Nairobi, Monday, shortly after Justice Bahati Mwamuye declared Section 6 of the Presidential Retirement Benefits Act unconstitutional and void in its entirety, finding that a former president remains a private citizen with constitutional political rights after leaving office.
Wiper Patriotic Front leader Kalonzo Musyoka said the decision had clarified the position on Uhuru’s continued political participation in Kenya’s multiparty politics.
“So, when you call Uhuru Kenyatta a rebel leader, you are actually acting in breach of the constitution, which you buana Ruto, swore to uphold. This is the reality of the situation and so Mr William Ruto should desist from designating Uhuru Kenyatta as a rebel leader because he’s not,” Kalonzo said.
He said the constitution recognises the sovereignty of the people and establishes Kenya as a multiparty democracy in which there would always be a government and an opposition.
“That matter has since been clarified,” he said, asking Ruto to stop treating Uhuru as a political competitor ahead of the 2027 General Election.
“He’s not. We will be the ones responding to William Ruto, not Uhuru Kenyatta because he wants to draw him into unnecessary contest and Uhuru Kenyatta has said ‘No’,” Kalonzo said.
The ruling directly intersects with a political dispute that intensified during Ruto’s recent tour of Nyanza, where the President accused Uhuru of failing to act as a neutral retired statesman and instead remaining involved in opposition politics.
“After today, this podium will change because the Azimio la Umoja coalition has today unanimously agreed to rebrand and change its name to the Ukombozi Alliance,” Kalonzo noted.
“Let the country know that we are on the move. The coalition chair is Uhuru Kenyatta, and tomorrow, he is convening a Jubilee Party meeting to make the necessary decisions, which will be communicated to the Ukombozi Alliance.”
Orengo replaces Uhuru as Ukombozi Alliance chairman
After Uhuru finally told Kalonzo that he is not taking that Ukombozi job given to him the Kalonzo team then picked James Orengo to be the new chairperson of the Ukombozi Alliance. We are talking about James Orengo who does not bring even one vote to the opposition ticket apart from his own family members. That is how dynamite the united new alliance is for the opposition and the country.
The changes follow Monday’s meeting of the coalition’s top brass
Siaya Governor James Orengo has replaced former President Uhuru Kenyatta as the Ukombozi Alliance Coalition Council chairman. Sources say Uhuru has already handed over the mantle to Orengo.
Pauline Njoroge: Opposition should avoid ‘endless table of principals’
A member of the opposition team, Pauline Njoroge has advised the opposition team not to have so many “principals” so they can make decisions and move forward building a real party on the ground and as Kenyans know nobody in the opposition is going to take such advice seriously.
The opposition leaders love their daily meetings because that is all they do and nobody sees them even bothering to hold rallies and talk to Kenyans.
The opposition lets President Ruto do all the talking to Kenyans while the opposition leadership has endless meetings for themselves and then run to media to announce things that fall apart the next minute. Njoroge says not every party leader should automatically become a principal.
In the media Pauline Njoroge called for a lean leadership structure in the emerging opposition coalition, arguing that broad participation should not result in an oversized decision-making organ.
Njoroge said every political party that joins the coalition should have a role in shaping its direction, proposing the establishment of a broad Coalition Parties Council bringing together leaders of all constituent parties.
She said the council should be inclusive and reflect the diversity of the emerging opposition alliance. However, Njoroge argued that not every party leader should automatically become a principal.
“Every party in the opposition has earned the legitimate right to participate in shaping the emerging coalition. That participation should be institutionalised through a broad Coalition Parties Council, bringing together the leaders of all constituent parties,” Njoroge said.
“This council should be as inclusive and diverse as the opposition itself. But inclusion does not mean that every party leader must automatically become a principal.”
Njoroge said membership of the top leadership should be based on demonstrable national influence and a solid regional support base, rather than simply ownership of a political party.
“The coalition’s top decision-making organ must remain lean, strategic and capable of responding quickly to political developments. Its membership should be based not merely on ownership of a political party, but on demonstrable national influence and a solid regional support base.”
She proposed that the principal-level leadership comprise Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and former Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i.
“Each commands a significant political constituency and brings to the table the electoral weight necessary to shape a viable national coalition,” Njoroge said.
She drew a comparison with the United Nations system, where all member states participate through the General Assembly, while urgent and focused matters are handled by the 15-member Security Council.
Njoroge said the same principle could guide the opposition coalition, with broad participation providing legitimacy while a smaller executive structure allows for faster decision-making.
“The underlying principle is simple: broad participation provides legitimacy, while a smaller executive structure provides agility. A successful coalition must achieve both,” she said.
Blow to Sifuna, Natembeya as ORPP rejects rebranding of Jirongo’s UDP to Ukombozi
And to keep dragging things downhill, Edwin Sifuna is also having his Ukombozi moment trying to register a party by that has the same name with Kalonzo Musyoka’s Ukombozi Alliance. The Registrar said the name Ukombozi resembles Ukombozi Alliance (TUA).
It looks like Kalonzo Musyoka and his squad knew that Sifuna was going to register his Ukombozi Party of Kenya one day to go and pretty much sabotaged the whole thing by picking the same name and somehow that information was already available to the Registrar. What else is cooking with these opposition leaders knocking each other in the head everywhere.
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya have suffered a major blow after the Registrar of Political Parties rejected their push to rename the United Democratic Party.
There has been a push for the renaming of UDP to Ukombozi Party of Kenya for use by Sifuna in the 2027 General Election.
UDP is linked to the late former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo.
Sources within the movement said the leaders were considering at least four existing political parties as possible vehicles for the 2027 polls.
“We are looking at up to four outfits. At the appropriate time, you will get to know our new vehicle. That is all I can tell you,” a Linda Mwananchi insider told the Star.
Addressing a Forum of Young Aspirants (FOYA) at Ufungamano House on Tuesday, August 25, 2026 Linda Mwananchi leader Edwin Sifuna said they are fighting the registrar in court for a brand name.
“What we are fighting for is not a party. We have parties. We are fighting for our brand. Our name. We have many parties. Kasongo thinks he is dealing with children,” he said.
“We are political children of Raila Odinga. Raila Odinga has plan A, B, C, D, E, F, G up to Z. Did we sleep in class? Just know we have parties. We want our brand. We have built this thing. We want the registrar to give us our brand, and we brand it in whatever party that we choose from the ones that we have.”
The registrar rejected the registration after finding that another outfit was already registered under a similar name.
During the burial of Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale’s wife on August 21, 2026, Sifuna hinted that the movement had already secured a political party.
“Honestly, some people think Sifuna doesn’t have a party? Let our supporters relax, a rose by any other name still sells,” Sifuna said.
Last month, the party wrote to the Registrar seeking to change the name, theme colours and symbols.
However, in a letter dated September 8, 2026, the Registrar rejected the changes.
“Reference is made to your letter dated 10th August, 2026, objecting to the public notice allegedly issued by the United Democratic Party (UDP) regarding its proposed change of name to Ukombozi People’s Party (UPP),” the ORPP letter reads in part.
“Section 8(c) of the Political Parties Act, Cap.7D, provides that the Registrar may refuse an application for the registration of a political party if the name of the political party, the abbreviation of the name, the slogan or the symbol that it wishes to use for the Act so nearly resembles the name, slogan or symbol, or an abbreviation of the name of another political party registered under the Act or any other legal entity registered under any other written law.
Subsequently, this Office has not approved or authorized the use of the name “Ukombozi People’s Party (UPP)” by the United Democratic Party (UDP).”
Adongo Ogony is a Human Rights Activist and a Writer who lives in Toronto, Canada
