Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna's Linda Mwananchi camp has suffered a fresh blow just days before its planned National Delegates Conference, after a party member moved to court seeking to stop the meeting.
But that plan has now run into a fresh legal hurdle.Emmanuel Willyngtone Khamala, a member of The Equitable Party, has petitioned the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal seeking to suspend the conference pending the hearing and determination of his complaint.
Khamala accuses the movement's leadership of appointing officials without elections and excluding registered members from key decisions. He says the party has not held grassroots elections to elect branch officials, county representatives, or polling station committees as required under the party constitution.
He also questioned Sifuna's eligibility to lead the party, claiming that the senator had not formally resigned from the Orange Democratic Movement, but had only been removed as its Secretary General.
In court documents filed through lawyers Danstan Omari and Timothy Kilonzo, Khamala sued the National Executive Committee of The Equitable Party, its National Elections Board, the IEBC, the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties, and the Political Parties Liaison Committee. Sifuna has been listed as an interested party.
This is not the first challenge to the NDC. Two other members, Paul Kiragu Gachoka and Pamela Achieng Simwata, had earlier asked the tribunal to halt the meeting, arguing that the party had not followed its constitution in selecting delegates, approving agenda items, and preparing to amend its governing rules.
A separate petitioner, James Onyango Nyangor, also questioned the planned elections over an alleged failure to issue the constitutionally required 21-day notice.
The Linda Mwananchi Movement has, however, defended its preparations, saying attendance will be restricted to designated delegates drawn from members registered by the date the NDC notice was published.
The movement said each county has been allocated a specific number of delegates based on its registered membership, and that the November 13 meeting would be used to approve its proposed name change and ratify other decisions necessary to formalise its transition.
Sifuna unveiled The Equitable Party on October 4, 2026, after his exit from ODM where he served as Secretary General. Its National Executive Committee approved a proposed change of name to Linda Mwananchi Movement on October 8.
He intends to vie for the presidency using the rebranded outfit, and has been aligning with opposition figures including Rigathi Gachagua and Kalonzo Musyoka.
For Sifuna, the court cases are a major test. If the tribunal stops the NDC, his plan to have a fully legal party vehicle in time for 2027 will be delayed.
If the NDC proceeds, it will be a major boost for the Linda Mwananchi camp in its battle against the Linda Ground faction led by Oburu Oginga and Gladys Wanga.
For now, all eyes are on the tribunal, which is expected to determine whether the leadership arrangements and preparations for Friday's conference complied with the party constitution.
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