Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna will next week launch the United Democratic Party (UDP) as his political vehicle for the 2027 presidential race, Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya announced yesterday.
This ends weeks of uncertainty over the senator’s political home.
Natembeya, speaking during a radio interview, confirmed that Sifuna will use the UDP ticket after the Registrar of Political Parties rejected the party’s proposed rebranding to Ukombozi People’s Party .
“We have a party. And it’s called the United Democratic Party (UDP). It is the party Sifuna will use,” Natembeya said.
The launch, expected to be attended by opposition heavyweights, marks the culmination of a frantic weeks-long scramble by Sifuna’s Linda Mwananchi movement to secure a political vehicle ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The path to UDP has been anything but smooth.
Sifuna’s team initially sought to rebrand the former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo’s UDP into Ukombozi People’s Party (UPP), but the Registrar rejected the application on September 8, citing Section 8(c) of the Political Parties Act, which prohibits names that so nearly resemble another registered entity.
The rejection followed an objection by Azimio la Umoja, which had reserved The Ukombozi Alliance on July 20, 2026, before formally adopting it as its new coalition name on September 21.
Sifuna’s team also faced complications from an earlier claim to the Ukombozi name.
The Ukombozi People’s Party had been reserved for Allan Jayuga Akivaga on March 13, 2025, but the 90-day reservation lapsed after he failed to complete the registration process.
Akivaga has since protested the subsequent reservations, accusing the Registrar of allowing another applicant to secure Ukombozi-related names while his party was pursuing registration.
Sifuna’s political journey has been marked by a series of setbacks. He was removed as ODM secretary general and stripped of his Senate leadership position, deepening his fallout with the Orange party.
Attempts to register the Linda Mwananchi Movement as a party were also frustrated after the Registrar indicated that another group, The Liberty National Democratic Alliance (LINDA), had already reserved the name.
With UDP now secured, Sifuna is expected to move with speed to establish party structures across the country and set up his presidential secretariat.
The Star has learned that an office space around Lavington has been identified, with behind-the-scenes consultations already underway on who will run the secretariat.
The team is said to be assembling a mix of seasoned political operatives and young technocrats aligned with the Linda Mwananchi movement’s generational change message.
Sifuna is also working on a presidential campaign team expected to be launched in November, according to sources within the movement. The team will coordinate his nationwide tours, policy messaging and coalition negotiations.
Coalition building is a priority for the first-term senator, who has consistently called for opposition unity against President William Ruto.
In a recent rally in Nairobi, Sifuna declared that defeating Ruto would require cooperation among opposition leaders including Kalonzo Musyoka, Rigathi Gachagua and others.
“It will not be easy. We must walk together with Kalonzo and Gachagua and all other leaders in the opposition,” Bumula MP Jack Wamboka said.
Sifuna’s launch comes against the backdrop of a parallel political manoeuvre by the Kalonzo-led wing of the opposition.
The Star reported this week that Kalonzo’s camp is plotting to unveil the Wiper leader as its joint presidential candidate by October 10, with Sifuna as his running mate.
The proposal reflects a calculated strategy to balance regional voting blocs and generational appeal.
An Infotrak survey placed a Kalonzo-Sifuna combination at 23 per cent support, ranking it among the opposition’s most preferred presidential pairings.
A separate TIFA poll placed Sifuna ahead of Kalonzo in individual presidential popularity, polling 15 percent against the Wiper leader’s 13 per cent.
However, Sifuna’s allies have made it clear that he will be on the ballot. Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale stated, “Sifuna will be the presidential candidate of our party and as we seek coalition partners, we are clear who is our candidate.”
The weekend retreat at Stone Athi is expected to finalise the Kalonzo-Sifuna ticket, though Sifuna’s team insists the Nairobi senator’s own vehicle will be unveiled within two weeks.
Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi said the setback over the Ukombozi name would not derail the Linda Mwananchi project.
Sifuna’s presidential ambitions have gained traction since he launched the Linda Mwananchi movement.
A TIFA poll showed him climbing from virtually no measurable support in 2025 to 15 per cent nationally by June 2026, with 44 per cent support within ODM as the party’s preferred presidential candidate.
His rallies across the country – from Bungoma to Mombasa, Kisumu to Meru – have drawn significant crowds, and his supporters have begun funding his campaign through public contributions.
“They say we do not have money to run a presidential campaign. From Kitale to Bungoma, members of the public have continued contributing through our pay bill number,” Sifuna said in Bungoma.
With UDP now secured, Sifuna’s team faces a tight regulatory calendar. Parties must submit names and specimen signatures of authorised persons to the Registrar by mid-October, with nomination rules due by October 16.
The launch next week is seen as the first step in meeting those deadlines and positioning Sifuna as a serious contender in the race to unseat President Ruto.
For now, the senator’s message remains one of unity and generational change, and the machinery to deliver it is finally coming together.
