Linda Mwananchi rallies behind Sifuna, warns against infiltrators

The Linda Mwananchi movement gathered in Meru county on Sunday to send a message: their support for Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna's presidential bid was unwavering, and anyone suggesting otherwise was either mistaken or deliberately trying to fracture the coalition.

Embakasi East MP Babu Owino opened the rally with an unambiguous declaration. He was, he said, one hundred percent behind Sifuna—a leader he had worked alongside for years within the ODM party. But Owino's tone shifted when he addressed what he called infiltrators, people he believed were being sent to create division within the movement. "If you support us, do it fully," he said. "We don't want you with one leg in Linda Mwananchi and the other in William Ruto's camp." The warning was direct: half-measures and hedged bets had no place in the coalition.

Other MPs reinforced the message. Majimbo Kalasinga from Kabuchai, Wanami Wamboka from Bumula, and Patrick Simiyu from Cherangany each took turns at the microphone to restate what they framed as a simple fact: Sifuna remained the movement's presidential candidate. There was no ambiguity to parse, no room for interpretation. Pauline Njoroge, a social media strategist aligned with the movement, urged supporters to stay focused on strengthening the coalition ahead of elections, speaking from a stopover in Kiirua.

Sifuna himself addressed the crowd with a different kind of argument. He would not, he said, deceive Kenyans with promises he could not keep. His upbringing had taught him the value of honesty, and he intended to tell voters what was actually achievable and on what timeline. "You can be loved by saying the truth," he said. The remark was a direct response to President William Ruto's repeated attacks on the opposition as "clueless, planless and rudderless." Sifuna countered that the opposition would develop its own manifesto, one grounded in constitutional principles and democratic values.

The senator then pivoted to a detailed critique of the Kenya Kwanza administration's record. Ruto had promised much in his 2022 campaign manifesto, Sifuna argued, but delivered little. The democratic space had contracted. Ordinary Kenyans—boda boda riders, small-scale traders—had not seen the improvements that had been pledged. "You promised to uplift boda boda riders, but that has not happened," Sifuna said. "Small traders have not grown as you promised." He questioned why the government was now proposing a Vision 2060 when it had not yet accounted for the promises made just four years earlier.

The Meru rally drew a substantial opposition presence. Alongside Sifuna and Owino were Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi, Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka, and Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya. Faith Odhiambo, the former president of the Law Society of Kenya, attended as well, along with MPs Clive Ombane, Jack Wamboka, and Patrick Simiyu, and Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale. The gathering demonstrated the breadth of the coalition, at least on this Sunday in Meru.

Owino used the platform to call for something larger than the immediate rally: a unified opposition front that would extend beyond the current coalition. He named former Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua as figures the opposition should bring into its fold, particularly in the Mt Kenya region. "We must unite as opposition," he said, acknowledging that the work of building a coherent alternative to Ruto's government remained incomplete. The movement's mobilization tour continued, but the underlying tension was clear: unity had to be actively maintained, and the threat of fracture—whether from infiltrators or from leaders hedging their bets—remained real.