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Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna’s push to secure the “Mwananchi” political brand has hit a new snag after Kivutha Kibwana’s Muungano Party formally moved to rename itself The Mwananchi Party (TMP).
A Gazette Notice dated August 24 confirms that the Registrar of Political Parties has received Muungano Party’s application to change its name, citing powers under Section 20(1)(d) of the Political Parties Act. The Registrar has given the public seven days from publication to file written objections, including from anyone contesting use of the “Mwananchi” name.
The move injects fresh uncertainty into an already contested race for the identity, which is central to political maneuvering ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Sifuna’s Linda Mwananchi faction recently scored a partial win at the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal, which allowed the group to reserve and register the “Mwananchi” name pending appeal. In the same ruling, delivered Tuesday, August 25, the Tribunal barred the Registrar from allowing any other party to register the “Linda Mwananchi” name until the underlying dispute is resolved. The Tribunal simultaneously permitted continued registration efforts for a separate outfit, the Liberty National Democratic Alliance (LINDA), pending full hearing.
Both camps in that earlier fight insist they met the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties’ requirements and have a legitimate claim to the “Linda” branding.
Kibwana’s application now introduces a third claimant into the fray, complicating an already tangled contest over who ultimately controls the Mwananchi identity. Should the Registrar approve the switch, Muungano Party would be dissolved in name and relaunched as The Mwananchi Party.
Whether Sifuna and Kibwana have struck a behind-the-scenes arrangement remains unclear. Sifuna has previously suggested his camp already has an alternative political vehicle lined up for 2027, without naming it, even as his faction continues to publicly champion the Linda Mwananchi brand.
With objections due within a week and multiple factions jostling for the same political identity, the coming days could prove decisive in determining who ultimately carries the “Mwananchi” banner into next year’s elections
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