Linda Mwananchi Faces Leadership Wrangles As Babu Owino, Natembeya And Sifuna Clash Over Political Vehicle

By Monyonge O’kebati
The Linda Mwananchi movement is facing fresh internal disagreements, with questions emerging over who controls its political direction and which party should serve as its vehicle ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The latest dispute follows revelations by Embakasi East MP Babu Owino that he already had a fully registered political party before the movement was formed.
Speaking on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, Babu said his party had been established as part of his plans to pursue the Nairobi gubernatorial seat, arguing that Linda Mwananchi found him with an existing political vehicle.
According to Babu, when Linda Mwananchi began looking for a party through which its candidates could participate in the 2027 elections, a committee was formed to examine different political options.
He says his party eventually emerged as the available fully registered vehicle after other options fell away.
However, the arrangement appears to have become complicated following the emergence of another political outfit, the Ukombozi People’s Party.
Babu has said he questioned why the movement would shift from an earlier understanding that his party would be used, particularly after another party was introduced into the discussions. He maintains that the matter could instead be resolved through a coalition that would allow different leaders to retain their individual political parties.
The disagreement has brought the question of Linda Mwananchi’s leadership structure into sharper focus.
Saboti MP Caleb Amisi has accused Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya of being responsible for the latest turbulence within the movement. Amisi argues that Natembeya’s political manoeuvres have complicated the search for a common political vehicle.
Natembeya, however, has previously cautioned against turning Linda Mwananchi into a new political party, although his position has evolved as the movement has expanded and its leaders have explored different political arrangements.
The dispute is also unfolding as Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna increasingly emerges as one of the movement’s central figures and has openly positioned himself for the 2027 presidential contest.
Recent reports indicate that Sifuna’s camp has been pursuing registration of a Linda Mwananchi political party, while the movement has also discussed alternative arrangements should that process fail.
Babu, despite the disagreement over the political vehicle, has maintained his support for Sifuna’s presidential ambitions. His latest comments therefore appear to distinguish between supporting Sifuna’s presidential bid and surrendering control of his own political party.
The disagreements have now produced competing narratives within the movement, with leaders pointing fingers at one another over who is responsible for the emerging divisions.
Amisi has blamed Natembeya, while Bumula MP Jack Wamboka has defended the governor and accused Amisi of having been a mole within Linda Mwananchi. Those are competing political claims from leaders on opposing sides of the dispute.
At the same time, questions have emerged over the relationship between Sifuna and other senior figures in the movement, including Siaya Governor James Orengo, as different political ambitions begin to intersect within the emerging opposition formation.
The developments come shortly after Linda Mwananchi staged a major political mobilisation in Nairobi, demonstrating the movement’s growing public profile. But the internal debate over its leadership, presidential ticket and political party now presents another challenge: turning the movement’s growing grassroots support into a unified electoral structure.
With the 2027 election approaching, Linda Mwananchi will have to navigate competing political interests while determining whether its members will operate under one party, a coalition of parties or another political arrangement.
For now, the movement’s public rallies continue to project unity, even as disagreements over the political vehicle and leadership are increasingly being aired in public.