Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli has told Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna that his bid for the presidency in the 2027 General Election is premature.
The veteran trade unionist argued that Sifuna still has a long way to go before seeking the country’s top seat.
Atwoli said Sifuna had a future in national politics but insisted that the time was not yet right for him to pursue the presidency.
“The time is not ripe for the young man. The time is not now for Edwin Sifuna, but we are recognising his introduction,” Atwoli said.
“He is going to be there after us, but the time is not now.”
Atwoli said political leaders should be honest with Sifuna about the challenges ahead rather than encouraging him to pursue an ambition for which he was, in his view, not adequately prepared.
“We must be sincere, specific and honest and tell him his time is not now,” Atwoli said.
Atwoli was speaking during a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Western region aspirants’ engagement session at the Tom Mboya Labour College in Kisumu, where Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi chaired the meeting.
He questioned Sifuna’s decision to seek support before putting together a political team capable of mounting a serious presidential campaign.
“You cannot start going round seeking support before you have put together a team,” Atwoli said.
He argued that Sifuna had not covered enough ground to demonstrate that he was ready for the demanding political contest ahead.
“You have not even done a quarter of the journey, and one of his colleagues says he is the one who should be president. You can see how unprepared they are,” he said.
Sifuna has declared his intention to run for president in the 2027 General Election under the Linda Mwananchi movement.
He openly signalled his presidential ambitions in July 2026, positioning himself as a potential challenger to President William Ruto as opposition parties and political formations position themselves ahead of the 2027 contest.
The Linda Mwananchi movement has, however, faced organisational and political challenges as it seeks to establish itself ahead of the election.
The movement has had to navigate formal party registration logistics as well as internal competition over its leadership and presidential ticket.
At one point, Sifuna and Siaya Governor James Orengo appeared to be on divergent paths over the movement’s leadership and presidential ticket before the two politicians reconciled.
Sifuna has nevertheless continued with his political mobilisation, presenting Linda Mwananchi as a platform focused on addressing the concerns of ordinary Kenyans.
Speaking at the same Kisumu meeting, Mudavadi urged UDA aspirants to focus on building strong grassroots structures instead of relying on political rhetoric.
“The road to 2027 will not be won by noise. It will be won through organisation, credibility and the ballot,” Mudavadi said.
Mudavadi said he had engaged UDA political aspirants from Western Kenya on the need to establish strong grassroots structures, conduct credible party nominations and prepare for peaceful democratic competition.
He also challenged the aspirants to prioritise voter registration, noting that an estimated 1.5 million eligible ID holders in Western Kenya had yet to register as voters.
