The Liberty National Democratic Alliance (LINDA) Party says it is the rightful owner of the "Linda" name and is ready to sue Edwin Sifuna's Linda Mwananchi faction, as a tribunal grants both sides temporary orders pending a September 14 hearing.
A political name war is playing out in Kiambu and before Kenya's Political Parties Disputes Tribunal, as officials of the Liberty National Democratic Alliance (LINDA) Party claim ownership of the "Linda" name and identity, amid an escalating standoff with the Linda Mwananchi movement associated with Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna.
Speaking at the party's headquarters in Kiambu, LINDA officials said they are the legitimate holders of the party's name, symbols, and other identifying elements, and warned the Linda Mwananchi faction against what they described as infringement on that identity.
According to LINDA party leader Phanesio Thuku, the party began its registration process in November 2024 and has since built what he described as a nationwide membership base. Thuku maintained that the party had followed the required registration procedures with the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) and said its identity should not be confused with that of Linda Mwananchi.
"We are the official and founding members of the party recognised by the laws of the land and recognised by the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties," Thuku said.
The party further claims its registration has reached an advanced stage, saying the Registrar had confirmed it complied with the required conditions save for one outstanding set of documents requested on August 14, which it says has since been submitted. Its advocate said the certificate of registration was the only remaining step.
"The Registrar of Political Parties, having confirmed that our client complied with every other thing, requested that they provide just a single set of documents, which they have since provided... and the only thing that is waiting is the issuance of the registration certificate," the advocate said.
LINDA officials accused the Sifuna-led faction of using a name, symbols, and identity they claim belong to their party, and said they were prepared to pursue legal action should the dispute continue.
Sifuna's camp pushing back, says it's fighting for a brand
For its part, the Sifuna-led movement has accused the ORPP of refusing to reserve the Linda Mwananchi name for its proposed party, and has already petitioned the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal over the matter. The Tribunal certified the case as urgent. Sifuna has maintained that his camp already has functioning parties and is not fighting to register a new one, but to protect what he calls the Linda Mwananchi brand built through the movement's civic mobilisation activities.
The dispute intensified this week. On Tuesday, August 25, the Tribunal issued preliminary orders following a day-long virtual hearing, allowing Sifuna's faction to reserve the wording "Mwananchi Party" pending determination of the case, while also barring the ORPP from processing or registering the Linda Mwananchi name, or any similar variation, for any other party in the meantime. At the same sitting, the Tribunal also allowed the LINDA Party's own registration process to proceed pending full hearing of the matter.
Both sides maintain they are legally entitled to the Linda identity, and neither has yet secured a final, binding outcome — the tribunal is set to resume hearing the case on September 14, 2026.
The row comes against a backdrop of growing political activity ahead of the 2027 General Election, as Sifuna and allies — including Embakasi East MP Babu Owino and other legislators who broke away from ODM — work to formalise Linda Mwananchi into a registered political outfit, even as a separate, unrelated party bearing a nearly identical acronym stakes its own claim to the "Linda" brand.