Sifuna Settles on The Equitable Party as Political Vehicle for 2027

By Monyonge O’kebati

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has settled on The Equitable Party (TEP) as the political vehicle through which he will pursue his presidential ambitions in the 2027 General Election.

The development was announced in Nairobi on Sunday, October 4, as Sifuna and his allies moved to formalise the political platform that will carry his bid for State House.

TEP party leader Gilbert Marava announced that Sifuna would take over the leadership of the party and contest the presidency on its ticket. The move ends weeks of uncertainty over the political outfit that Sifuna and his allies would use following his emergence as the presidential candidate of the Linda Mwananchi movement.

The decision comes days after the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT) paved the way for Sifuna’s Linda Mwananchi Movement to secure its proposed name.

On September 30, the Tribunal set aside an earlier decision by the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) rejecting the reservation of the Linda Mwananchi name. The Tribunal directed the Registrar to reconsider the application within seven days.

The ORPP subsequently approved the reservation of Linda Mwananchi Movement (LMM) for a period of up to 90 days in a letter dated October 1.

The approval, however, did not amount to full registration of the movement as a political party. Its promoters are required to complete the remaining legal and administrative requirements before obtaining full registration.

The Linda Mwananchi formation had earlier settled on Sifuna as its leader and presidential candidate after a meeting of its principals on September 26.

With TEP now identified as the vehicle for the 2027 presidential contest, attention shifts to how Sifuna’s Linda Mwananchi movement will relate to the newly adopted party structure and the wider opposition formations seeking political alliances ahead of the August 2027 elections.

The development adds another layer to the rapidly changing political landscape as parties and emerging movements position themselves for the next General Election