NAIROBI, Kenya — The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) has approved the reservation of the name Linda Mwananchi Movement (LMM) for up to 90 days, clearing a major hurdle for promoters of the proposed political party.
In a letter dated October 1, 2026, Registrar of Political Parties and ORPP chief executive John Cox Lorionokou notified the applicants’ lawyers, Bansbury Associates Advocates LLP, that the name had been approved for reservation.
The decision follows a ruling by the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT), which on September 30 set aside the Registrar’s earlier refusal to reserve the name and directed the office to reconsider the application within seven days.
The Tribunal found that the Registrar’s decision lacked legal justification and had unjustifiably limited the applicants’ right to form or participate in forming a political party.
It also rejected the argument that the proposed Linda Mwananchi name could lawfully be blocked because of another political outfit associated with the acronym LINDA.
Tribunal ruling opened the way
The dispute began after the Registrar declined an application to reserve the name Linda Mwananchi Movement.
The applicants — Suba South MP Caroli Omondi, political activist Pauline Njoroge and former Law Society of Kenya president Faith Odhiambo — challenged the decision before the Tribunal.
The Registrar had cited legal and public-interest concerns in rejecting the application. The dispute was complicated by the existence of another political entity using the LINDA acronym.
However, the Tribunal found that the earlier reservation of Liberty National Democratic Alliance (LINDA) had already lapsed and could not provide a legal basis for blocking the separate Linda Mwananchi application.
The Tribunal also struck out pleadings filed by LINDA as an interested party, finding that the entity was not a fully registered political party and therefore lacked legal capacity to participate in the proceedings in its own name.
Reservation is not registration
The latest ORPP decision does not mean that Linda Mwananchi Movement has been fully registered as a political party.
The 90-day reservation protects the proposed name while its promoters proceed with the requirements for formal party registration.
The ORPP has previously stressed that political parties must complete the required registration and compliance processes before they can participate in elections, including the 2027 General Election.
The registration process includes further requirements concerning party structures, officials, governing documents and membership before a political organisation can obtain full registration.
Sifuna-linked movement gains momentum
The name has become closely associated with Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and a wider political movement that has been mobilising supporters across the country ahead of the 2027 elections.
Also Read: Linda Mwananchi offered party vehicle as Sifuna camp faces 2027 dilemma
Sifuna has publicly defended the Linda Mwananchi identity, while the legal proceedings over the name have involved promoters who identify themselves as founders of the proposed movement.
The Tribunal ruling therefore removed an immediate administrative obstacle to securing the name, although it did not itself confer full party registration or settle every dispute surrounding the political identity.
A separate name dispute remains
The reservation also comes against the backdrop of another dispute over the Linda Mwananchi name.
Charles Wanyonyi has separately claimed that he applied to reserve the name earlier in 2026, before the application linked to the Sifuna-associated movement. His lawyers have asked the Registrar to give priority to that earlier application.
The issue was not determined by the September 30 Tribunal ruling, meaning further questions over competing applications could still arise.
For now, however, the ORPP has formally reserved the Linda Mwananchi Movement name for up to 90 days following the Tribunal’s directive.
The move gives the promoters a defined period to advance the next stages of the registration process as political activity intensifies ahead of the 2027 General Election.
