Edwin Sifuna’s push to position himself as a leading opposition contender for the 2027 presidential election is facing its first major test after Siaya Governor James Orengo declared his own interest in the presidency.
The development has opened a new contest within Linda Mwananchi, the opposition movement associated with Sifuna, at a time when the Nairobi senator is expanding his political activities and receiving backing from leaders seeking to unseat President William Ruto.
Orengo, a veteran opposition politician and one of the senior figures in Linda Mwananchi, has insisted that he is a serious presidential candidate.
“From today, know that I am the presidential candidate. A serious presidential candidate,” Orengo said during a burial in Homa Bay last month.
His declaration has unsettled some members of the movement, with Sifuna’s allies insisting that the group had already settled on the Nairobi senator as its preferred candidate.
Kabuchai MP Majimbo Kalasinga was categorical that the movement should not be distracted by competing ambitions.
“From today, we don’t want any confusion. Our presidential candidate remains Edwin Sifuna,” Kalasinga said.
Orengo, however, has defended his decision to enter the race, arguing that political movements should allow leaders to compete before agreeing on a candidate.
“In 2007 there was what was called the Pentagon within ODM. The five people who constituted the Pentagon were all presidential candidates,” he said.
He has also acknowledged that his declaration caused disagreement within Linda Mwananchi.
“The issue of a presidential candidate was brought as an agenda, but I said it was inappropriate at that time and that it needed more consultation,” Orengo said. “Some people were unhappy about that.”
Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi has sought to play down the differences, saying Orengo has a constitutional right to seek the presidency.
“I don’t think it is an issue; it is not bad for anyone to declare interest for any seat. Orengo is an important player in Linda Mwananchi, and he has a right to declare interest in any position,” Osotsi said.
“We will come up with a formula that would accommodate everybody.”
The disagreement comes as Sifuna steps up efforts to build Linda Mwananchi into a national political movement.
On Tuesday, the senator met Bunge la Mwananchi politicians at his office ahead of a Linda Mwananchi rally scheduled for Sunday at Jacaranda Grounds in Embakasi East.
The meeting was attended by, among others, Nuru Okanga and Kennedy Songa Songa, who promised to support preparations for the rally.
Songa claimed there were plans to disrupt the event.
“There are plans to bring goons to disrupt our rally; they will not succeed. We will protect the meeting,” he said.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has also been mobilising Nairobi politicians ahead of the rally.
The growing activity around Sifuna has attracted increasing attention from the government side, particularly in Western Kenya.
Key sources said that government figures from the region had intensified efforts to consolidate support for Ruto amid Sifuna’s growing political profile.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has been meeting UDA aspirants from Western Kenya, while Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya met about 25 MPs from the region in Kisumu to discuss preparations for the 2027 election.
Sifuna has also entered into a direct political exchange with Ruto after the President questioned whether the opposition had a clear agenda for the next election.
Speaking in the Senate, Sifuna said the opposition's immediate objective was to restore meritocracy in government and remove Ruto from office.
He also attacked government spending, questioning the reported allocation of billions of shillings to hospitality at State House while schools faced funding challenges.
“We are being told that Sh12 billion was spent on hospitality at State House, in a country where we are told we have no cash for capitation,” Sifuna said.
His growing profile has also received an unexpected boost from former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
Gachagua has said he would be willing to deputise Sifuna if opposition leaders conclude that the senator has the best chance of defeating Ruto.
“If we do our arithmetic and find that Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna will send President William Ruto home early, so be it,” Gachagua said.
He has also dismissed arguments that Sifuna is too young to seek the presidency.
“I have told Sifuna, don’t be discouraged by anybody. Go for it,” Gachagua said.
The former deputy president said opposition leaders would ultimately have to agree on one candidate and that political calculations, rather than individual ambitions, should determine the ticket.
Gachagua’s endorsement has given Sifuna’s presidential ambitions greater prominence within opposition politics, but the Orengo declaration has introduced a competing claim from within the same political movement.
Linda Mwananchi is also yet to resolve its organisational identity after the Registrar of Political Parties declined an application to reserve the movement’s name as a political party.
For Sifuna, the immediate challenge is therefore twofold: expanding Linda Mwananchi beyond Nairobi while keeping its senior leaders together as the question of the opposition’s 2027 presidential candidate moves closer to the centre of political negotiations.
The Jacaranda rally on Sunday will provide an early indication of the movement’s ability to mobilise behind Sifuna as he seeks to turn his growing national profile into a credible presidential campaign.
