Funyula MP Wilberforce Oundo has said Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna’s recent rally in the capital is a sign that the Linda Mwananchi leader is beginning to inherit the political support and influence previously enjoyed by the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Oundo said the large and enthusiastic crowds that attended Sifuna’s Nairobi tour were reminiscent of the gatherings that Raila attracted during his political engagements in the capital.
Speaking during an interview with Citizen TV, the MP said the reception Sifuna received had demonstrated that the senator was increasingly establishing himself in Raila’s former political backyard.
The turnout has sparked fresh debate within Opposition circles over whether Sifuna can replicate the political appeal that made Nairobi one of Raila’s strongest bases.
Oundo said the choice of Jacaranda Grounds for Sifuna’s rally was deliberate, given its significance in Raila’s political mobilisation in the city.
“It was significant for us to go to Jacaranda because whenever Baba wanted to do anything, there are only two places he went to; Jacaranda and the field in Kibra,” he said.
“We decided to start with Jacaranda to lay our claim on Nairobi.”
Oundo claimed that the political dominance ODM enjoyed in Nairobi under Raila had now been lost, arguing that Sifuna and the Linda Mwananchi movement were filling the space left by the former Opposition chief.
“Everybody knows that ODM’s stranglehold in Nairobi is gone. The leadership has no way of infiltrating or claim Nairobi now. Nairobi has gone to Edwin Sifuna,” he said.
The MP went further to declare that ODM was no longer a major force in the capital, predicting that Linda Mwananchi and the wider United Opposition would take control of Nairobi ahead of the 2027 General Election.
“ODM is dead in Nairobi, the Linda Mwananchi and United Opposition will take over the capital henceforth. We want to tell them bye bye from Nairobi and many other parts of the country,” Oundo said.
He said the reception Sifuna received during the Nairobi tour had boosted the movement’s confidence as it seeks to expand its support beyond the capital.
“Nairobi was very warm, welcoming and we feel encouraged. It gives us hope that we are on the route to resetting this country,” he said.
Sifuna has increasingly positioned Linda Mwananchi as a vehicle for mobilising Kenyans ahead of the 2027 elections, while also openly expressing his interest in taking on President William Ruto.
His growing profile has placed him among several Opposition figures seeking to lead the challenge against Ruto, including former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Jubilee deputy party leader Fred Matiang’i.
