Deep cracks have emerged in the Linda Mwananchi movement, threatening to implode under the weight of the political ambitions it was created to unite.
What began as a fast-rising political platform - cheered by Gen Z - riding on public anger against President William Ruto is now being tested by the oldest afflictions of Kenyan opposition politics.
The outfit is being rocked and undermined by personality cults, regional power games, competing presidential ambitions, deep mistrust and leaders unwilling to surrender their political machines for the greater opposition good.
Meantime, there are revelations of aggressive resistance from the broader opposition and State interference to scuttle the Linda Mwananchi movement, seen as the biggest political threat to the establishment.
The Star has established the movement is facing an increasingly toxic internal struggle over who owns its popularity, who controls its structures and who has the authority to determine its direction ahead of the 2027 general election.
At the centre of the storm are Nairobi Senator Sifuna (ODM), Embakasi East MP Babu Owino (ODM but promises new party), Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya (DAP-K) and Siaya Governor James Orengo (ODM).
Their competing interests have turned the nascent movement into a power-struggle battleground for influence.
“Movements do not die at the hands of their enemies, they die when their custodians mistake the crowd’s chants for their own names,” political observer Arnold Maliba told the Star.
The latest public display of the crisis followed last Sunday’s Nairobi rally, which triggered a bitter online war between supporters of Sifuna and Babu over who deserved credit for attracting the huge crowds.
Sifuna is eyeing the presidency and Babu wants to be Nairobi governor. They are not directly competing with each other and some analysts say they should work together for now to consolidate the movement.
Their dispute was not simply about a successful rally, it was a fight over political ownership and supremacy. Both camps appeared determined to establish who commands the movement’s grassroots machinery and who should be credited for its rapid rise.
A senior figure familiar with the internal discussions said the movement was increasingly being weakened by leaders who viewed its popularity as their own branded personal political asset.
Sifuna control under siege
Sifuna’s supporters believe the senator’s growing national profile has made him the natural face of Linda Mwananchi and the most credible candidate to carry its presidential ambitions.
That position is being challenged by jealous leaders who fear the wildly popular movement is becoming the vehicle to advance one man’s presidential bid.
The discord has created a fault line between those pushing for Sifuna’s immediate endorsement by the movement and those demanding a broader, more democratic process to determine the movement’s leadership and presidential candidate.
Some leaders from Western are accused of pushing factional interests and attempting to micromanage Sifuna’s political operations. He has family ties to Bungoma and Kakamega.
At the centre of those accusations are Natembeya and MPs Majimbo Kalasinga (Ford-K, Kabuchai in Bungoma), Wanami Wamboka (DAP-K, Buluma in Bungoma) and Patrick Simiyu (DAP-K, Cherganyi, Trans Nzoia).
“These are the hardliners. We are saying, we are in a political movement. Let us listen to everyone,” an observer, requesting anonymity, told the Star.
These leaders are said to be aggressively promoting Sifuna’s presidential bid while resisting any suggestion that another politician could emerge as the movement’s flagbearer.
Their approach has generated resentment among members who believe Linda Mwananchi should remain a broad coalition rather than become a vehicle controlled by a single faction.
The tensions intensified after Orengo announced his interest in the presidency.
Sifuna’s allies interpreted the move as an attempt to undermine the senator’s emerging claim to the opposition ticket.
The response to Orengo was immediate, with Sifuna’s supporters insisting the matter had already been settled.
“From today, we don’t want any confusion. Our presidential candidate remains Edwin Sifuna,” Majimbo said.
The Siaya governor has denied that he is sabotaging the movement.
“I am not spoiling it, because I am committed to having one presidential candidate. Those who are raising these fears are not democrats,” he said recently.
Natembeya hijacker?
The most damaging accusations of causing splits have been directed at Natembeya, who is alleged to be using his influence to reorder the movement’s internal hierarchy and sideline politicians involved in its early formation.
Saboti MP Caleb Amisi, a founding member of Linda Mwananchi who later left to establish his own party, (People’s Renaissance Movement) has accused Natembeya of interfering with the movement’s internal dynamics and undermining leaders central to Sifuna’s presidential campaign.
“He (Natembeya) has joined Linda Mwananchi, and he is now pushing out the likes of Babu Owino. He is even snatching away microphones from leaders,” he said.
“We want to make Sifuna president, but you are disturbing people who are supposed to make Sifuna president.George Natembeya is actually the downfall of Sifuna,” he alleged.
Natembeya’s reaction to the Nairobi rally on Sunday was interpreted as a direct rebuke to Babu’s camp.
“Nairobi is open to anyone who has the numbers,” the governor said.
Amisi claimed he was removed from the Linda Mwananchi WhatsApp group after forming his own political party, PRM, which he had hoped would be adopted as the movement’s electoral vehicle for 2027.
Party vs coalition
The movement’s most immediate organisational crisis revolves around which political party it will use to contest the 2027 election.
The group has not settled on a party, as leaders within the outfit have their own political parties, some formed secretly. Others belong to fully established parties.
Babu disclosed that a committee formed to identify a suitable party for the movement had settled onMwananchi Party, after Amisi withdrew and two other options failed to secure full party registration.
Some leaders fear that allowing multiple parties to operate independently could weaken Linda Mwananchi’s command structure, complicate nominations and trigger fresh disputes over who controls parliamentary candidates.
Others say a coalition is the only realistic way to accommodate competing political interests that brought Linda Mwananchi together.
“If we want to be genuine with ourselves, we must have a coalition that covers various interests,” Babu said.
Established opposition fights
Outside Linda Mwananchi, the movement is facing resistance from established opposition forces that fear its rise could upset existing presidential calculations.
Before Sifuna’s emergence, Wiper’s Kalonzo Musyoka and Rigathi Gachagua of DCP were widely regarded as the leading figures in the opposition’s presidential contest.
The senator’s growing popularity has unsettled those calculations by introducing a new player who cannot easily be fitted into the existing power-sharing arrangements.
A Wiper lawmaker dismissed Sifuna’s presidential ambitions, saying the opposition already had a preferred candidate.
“We know how we are managing Sifuna. But what I can assure is that Kalonzo will be the candidate of the united opposition. The best Sifuna can do is to deputise Kalonzo,” the lawmaker said, requesting anonymity.
Analysts warn the wrangles could diminish Sifuna’s bargaining power for the presidency slot with the Kalonzo and Gachagua teams.
Linda Mwananchi is also attracting government attention, with sources allege the administration is exploring ways to infiltrate or weaken the movement before it becomes a more organised electoral threat.
This situation is largely explained by the frustrations leaders have faced in attempting to register the Linda Mwananchi party or reserve the brand name at the Registrar of Political Parties.
“We clearly know these are the tactics of the state. It frustrating us because they know Linda Mwananchi is the force that can unseat this regime,” Senator Godfrey Osotsi of Vihiga said.
The government’s interest is unsurprising, given the movement’s rapid growth and its ability to attract young voters and opposition supporters disillusioned with traditional political formations.
“Our detractors will not succeed,” Osotsi said. “We remain united and committed to the cause.”
