The battle over the registration of the proposed Linda Mwananchi Party has escalated into a legal and political showdown after lawyers acting for promoter Charles Wanyonyi accused the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) of reopening a decision on the party name without involving the original applicant.

The latest development comes barely a day after Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and a team of politicians aligned to the Linda Mwananchi movement held a closed-door meeting with Registrar of Political Parties John Cox Lorionokou and later announced that the office had agreed to review an earlier decision rejecting reservation of the party name.

That announcement has now triggered a fresh dispute, with Mr Wanyonyi's advocates warning that any review conducted without notifying or hearing their client would violate the Constitution and principles of fair administrative action.

In a letter received by the Registrar’s office on Wednesday August 5, lawyers Wanzau, Odhiambo and Associates argued that Mr Wanyonyi was the first person to apply for reservation of the name "Linda Mwananchi Party of Kenya" on February 24, 2026, and therefore remains the principal party in any review of the Registrar's decision.

"Our client was the first person to lodge an application seeking reservation of the name 'Linda Mwananchi Party of Kenya'... Applications for party name reservations must be considered on a strict first-in-time basis," the lawyers stated in the letter.

According to the advocates, the Registrar rejected Mr Wanyonyi's application on March 4, saying the proposed party name closely resembled already reserved slogans, including "Linda Mkenya" and "Boresha Kenya", and was therefore contrary to Section 8 of the Political Parties Act.

That position appeared settled until Tuesday, when Mr Sifuna's camp emerged from a meeting with the Registrar saying the office had agreed to reconsider the decision.

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The delegation, which included Senators Godfrey Osotsi (Vihiga), Richard Onyonka (Kisii), MPs Babu Owino (Embakasi East), Patrick Makau (Mavoko), Jack Wamboka (Bumula), Clive Gisairo (Kitutu Masaba) and former Law Society of Kenya President Faith Odhiambo, questioned why the ORPP had declined to reserve the name for their political outfit.

Linda Mwananchi spokesperson Caroli Omondi said the Registrar undertook to communicate his decision after reviewing the matter.

"The registrar told us he will review his decision and give us feedback at the end of the week," Mr Omondi said.

The dispute has its roots in what initially appeared to be an ordinary application for reservation of a political party name.

When Mr Wanyonyi submitted his application earlier this year, Mr Sifuna's allies quickly objected, arguing that "Linda Mwananchi" had already become synonymous with their political movement.

Through Henia Anzala and Associates Advocates, the group asked the Registrar to reject Mr Wanyonyi's application, saying they had spent months building the movement and popularising the slogan through rallies and political mobilisation.

The movement argued that registering the name under an individual who was not associated with it would confuse the public because "Linda Mwananchi" had become publicly identified with its political activism.

Mr Sifuna’s team further maintained that the slogan had evolved beyond campaign messaging into an organised political movement complete with a structured network of supporters and coordinators.

The Registrar eventually rejected Mr Wanyonyi's application, citing legal grounds unrelated to ownership claims.

However, after Mr Sifuna's camp later attempted to reserve the same name, they too were informed that the proposed party could not be registered because of the same legal concerns.

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The Registrar stated in its communication that the proposed name closely resembled already reserved slogans and raised issues of public interest under the Political Parties Act.

The latest review has therefore raised questions about what has changed since the original rejection.

Registrar of Political Parties, John Cox Lorionokou, addressing Journalists during his maiden visit to the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties Nyanza Regional Office in Kisumu on June 4, 2026.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation

In their letter, Mr Wanyonyi's lawyers argue that if the Registrar has indeed decided to revisit the March decision, then the review cannot lawfully proceed without the participation of the person whose application was rejected in the first place.

"The review cannot be manipulated to accommodate latecomers at the expense of our client's prior statutory rights," the advocates’ state.

They further contend that politicians who were neither applicants nor subjects of the original decision cannot become the central participants in a review while excluding the original applicant.

The lawyers invoked Article 47 of the Constitution and the Fair Administrative Action Act, arguing that Mr Wanyonyi must receive formal notice of any review, be supplied with all documents informing the process and be accorded an opportunity to make representations before any determination is reached.

They have consequently demanded that the Registrar immediately admits Mr Wanyonyi as a primary participant in the ongoing review, reconsiders his original application on its merits and refrains from allocating or registering the name to any third party before hearing him.

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The advocates also caution that reopening statutory processes because politically influential individuals have expressed dissatisfaction with an earlier decision risk undermining the independence of the Registrar's office.

"The Political Parties Act establishes an independent regulatory office whose decisions must be guided by law, objective criteria and procedural fairness, not by political influence or public pressure," they argue.

On the other hand, Mr Sifuna's allies insist they are merely seeking recognition of a movement that has steadily grown into a national political force.

Mr Osotsi said the delegation visited the Registrar after supporters mounted pressure on the group to formally register a political party following the fallout within ODM that saw some of its leaders removed from party positions.

Linda Mwananchi supporters in Bungoma Town during Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna's homecoming rally on July 26, 2026.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation

"We went to the registrar because we had asked our lawyers to register the name," Mr Osotsi said.

He added that when Mr Wanyonyi first sought to reserve the name, the movement immediately lodged a caveat to prevent individuals outside the group from appropriating what they consider their political identity.

"Our lawyers recently wrote to the office to reserve the name, but they were told it cannot be registered because of public interest. We told the registrar that we don't expect any monkey games and that he will make decisions without being influenced by external forces," he said.

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The controversy now places the Registrar in a delicate position.

Should the office reverse its earlier decision and permit reservation of the name, it may have to explain why a proposal previously found to offend Section 8 of the Political Parties Act has suddenly become legally acceptable.

Conversely, if the Registrar maintains the original rejection, Mr Sifuna's camp will have to decide whether to challenge the decision or pursue a different political vehicle ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Beyond the legal arguments, the dispute illustrates how the Linda Mwananchi slogan has transformed from a rallying call within ODM's internal wrangles into a valuable political brand.

Initially coined as a counterweight to the pro-establishment "Linda Ground" campaign associated with ODM leader Oburu Oginga, the movement has gradually acquired the hallmarks of an organised political formation, complete with national rallies, coordinated messaging and ambitions of becoming an alternative political platform.

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jjochieng@ke.nationmedia.com