Former Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana is set to hand over the newly rebranded Mwananchi Party to Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna in a political manoeuvre that could finally give the Linda Mwananchi movement the party vehicle it has struggled to secure ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The development gives a new meaning to Kibwana’s decision to transform his long-dormant Muungano Party into The Mwananchi Party (TMP).
What initially appeared to be another claimant in the increasingly crowded battle over the “Mwananchi” political identity now looks more like a carefully positioned political vehicle for Sifuna and his allies.
The Registrar of Political Parties published a Gazette Notice on August 24 announcing Muungano’s intention to change its name to The Mwananchi Party under Section 20(1)(d) of the Political Parties Act. The notice opened a seven-day window for objections.
The name change comes against the backdrop of Sifuna’s bruising encounter with the ORPP, which declined to register the movement under the proposed Linda Mwananchi Party of Kenya (LMPK) identity.
The Registrar raised concerns over similarities with names already reserved, including Linda Mkenya and Boresha Kenya. But Sifuna’s political machine did not leave the field empty-handed.
On August 25, the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal allowed Sifuna’s faction to reserve the name The Mwananchi Party pending the hearing and determination of its appeal.
The Tribunal also restrained the Registrar from processing or registering “Linda Mwananchi” or a similar variation for another entity while the dispute remains before it.
The case is scheduled to return before the Tribunal on September 14. That sequence of events has now produced an intriguing political arrangement.
Kibwana, a former governor and one of the more intellectually grounded figures in Kenyan politics, has provided what Sifuna’s camp could not obtain directly from the Registrar, an existing political party that can carry the Mwananchi name.
Kibwana has publicly associated himself with Sifuna’s political project, including expressing support for the Nairobi senator and the wider Linda Mwananchi movement.
If Linda Mwananchi acquires the Mwananchi Party, it will help Sifuna’s camp to avoid becoming trapped in a prolonged legal fight over the words Linda Mwananchi, while retaining the broader political idea that has powered its mobilisation across the country.
