Sifuna, Kalonzo and Babu Take Different Political Routes as Linda Mwananchi Faces 2027 Test

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna’s political plans have entered a new phase after Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition rebranded as the Ukombozi Alliance, just as leaders within Linda Mwananchi prepare to unveil the political vehicle expected to carry Sifuna’s presidential ambitions.

The development has brought three different political vehicles into focus: the Ukombozi Alliance led by Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, the Ukombozi People’s Party being associated with Sifuna, and the Mwananchi Party being led by Embakasi East MP Babu Owino.

While the three developments are unfolding within the wider opposition realignment ahead of the 2027 General Election, they do not currently represent one political organisation.

Kalonzo announced the Azimio rebrand on Monday, September 21, saying coalition members had unanimously agreed to adopt the Ukombozi Alliance name.

“Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition has this day, September 21, 2026, unanimously agreed to rebrand and change the name to Ukombozi Alliance,” Kalonzo said.

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta is set to remain chairman of the rebranded alliance.

Kalonzo said the coalition would continue coordinating its activities, with Uhuru expected to convene a Jubilee Party meeting as part of the transition.

Sifuna's Ukombozi plan

The announcement came on the same day The Star reported that Sifuna is expected to unveil his own political party on October 1.

Multiple sources within Linda Mwananchi told the publication that Sifuna had settled on the Ukombozi Party as his political vehicle.

“The issue of the party is behind us, we will make it public on October 1,” one source told The Star.

However, there is an important qualification.

Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi, a senior Linda Mwananchi figure, declined to confirm that Ukombozi was definitely the party Sifuna would use.

“In two weeks’ time, Sifuna’s party will be known. People should stop speaking for Sifuna,” Osotsi told The Star.

That leaves the final identity of Sifuna’s political vehicle subject to an official announcement.

The Star reported that the Ukombozi Party being discussed is the rebranded United Democratic Party, which was previously associated with the late former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo.

Kalonzo responds to Sifuna question

The simultaneous use of the Ukombozi name has inevitably raised questions about how Kalonzo’s new alliance will relate to the political vehicle being prepared for Sifuna.

But Kalonzo has played down the prospect of a confrontation.

Asked about the possible overlap between the Ukombozi Alliance and the Ukombozi People’s Party associated with Linda Mwananchi, Kalonzo said the priority was to keep opposition forces together.

“We are one term, one team, one coalition. We will do whatever it takes to remain together,” he said, according to Nairobi Leo.

Kalonzo also said the prolonged issue surrounding Linda Mwananchi’s political registration had created time pressure.

“We understand that Linda Mwananchi are waiting for a decision from the Registrar of Political Parties. We understand that time is of the essence,” he said.

The comments suggest that the appearance of the word “Ukombozi” in the two political arrangements does not, by itself, establish a political confrontation between Kalonzo and Sifuna.

Babu chooses Mwananchi Party

While Sifuna’s political vehicle remains under discussion, Babu has already established his own route.

The Embakasi East MP has announced that he will pursue his Nairobi gubernatorial ambitions through the Mwananchi Party.

Babu, however, has repeatedly insisted that his decision to maintain a separate political vehicle does not amount to abandoning Sifuna.

“Sifuna ni ndugu yangu, na sitamwacha nyuma kwa sababu mimi ndiye tulianza na yeye,” Babu said in Kisumu on September 18.

Babu has proposed that the Mwananchi Party and the party associated with Sifuna could operate together under the Linda Mwananchi umbrella.

“We will start with a coalition within Linda Mwananchi, Sifuna will be the party leader of Ukombozi Party and Babu will be the party leader of the Mwananchi Party,” Babu said, according to The Star.

Eastleigh Voice also reported that Babu had proposed a Mwananchi-Ukombozi coalition while maintaining his support for Sifuna’s presidential ambitions.

Natembeya backs Sifuna's Ukombozi option

Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya has also emerged as a prominent supporter of the Ukombozi option for Sifuna.

People Daily previously reported that Natembeya and Babu had differed over which political vehicle should carry Linda Mwananchi into the 2027 election.

Babu favoured the Mwananchi Party, while Natembeya backed the Ukombozi People’s Party as the vehicle for Sifuna.

The disagreement is therefore not simply about party names.

It is about how Linda Mwananchi will organise itself, how individual leaders will retain their political bases and whether different parties can operate under one broader opposition arrangement.

Linda Mwananchi's structural challenge

Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka has offered another explanation for the tensions emerging within the movement.

Onyonka said Linda Mwananchi had grown rapidly, creating organisational challenges for its leaders.

He argued that the movement's popularity had expanded faster than its formal structures.

Onyonka said the absence of established internal dispute-resolution mechanisms was becoming a challenge because Linda Mwananchi remains a political movement rather than a registered political party.

His comments come as the movement tries to transform its growing political support into an organised structure capable of participating in the 2027 election.

The question of the political vehicle has consequently become one of the most important organisational issues facing Linda Mwananchi.

September 30 deadline

Another important date is September 30.

The dispute surrounding the Linda political identity is expected to come before the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal, with the outcome potentially providing greater clarity on the movement’s preferred political structure.

Kalonzo has already acknowledged that Linda Mwananchi’s registration issue is one of the matters the wider opposition needs to address.

The timing is significant because Sifuna is expected to unveil his political vehicle in early October.

The tribunal decision could therefore come just days before the reported launch.

What happens to Sifuna?

Sifuna now sits at the centre of a rapidly changing opposition landscape.

His allies are preparing for the unveiling of a political vehicle, Babu is building his own party around his Nairobi gubernatorial ambitions, while Kalonzo has moved forward with the Ukombozi Alliance under the rebranded Azimio structure.

Yet the developments do not necessarily mean the opposition is splitting into separate camps.

Babu continues to publicly support Sifuna.

Kalonzo has said the Ukombozi naming issue should not create friction with Linda Mwananchi.

And Babu has proposed that different parties could retain their identities while operating within a broader coalition.

The unresolved question is therefore how these different political vehicles will eventually fit together.

For Sifuna, the immediate milestone is the expected unveiling of his political vehicle in October.

For Linda Mwananchi, the bigger challenge is building an organisational structure that can accommodate its different leaders and parties while maintaining a common political programme.

And for the wider opposition, the emerging question is whether the various alliances and parties can eventually operate under one coordinated framework ahead of the 2027 General Election.