Sifuna's Party Unveiling: The Options Left After the Ukombozi Setback

Edwin Sifuna (Senator, Nairobi) lost his most talked-about party vehicle when the Registrar of Political Parties refused, in a letter dated 8 September 2026, to approve the renaming of the United Democratic Party (UDP) as the "Ukombozi People's Party". His allies said in September that his party would still be unveiled around 3 October. As of 23 September the options were Babu Owino's Mwananchi Party, a different use of UDP, DAP-K, another existing party, or a new one.

What was blocked

The Registrar, John Cox Lorionokou, wrote that his office "has not approved or authorised the use of the name 'Ukombozi People's Party (UPP)'" by UDP. He relied on section 8(c) of the Political Parties Act, which lets the Registrar refuse a name so close to another that it may confuse voters. The competing name was "The Ukombozi Alliance", reserved by another applicant on 20 July 2026.

The letter surfaced around 21 and 22 September. On the same days Kalonzo Musyoka announced that the coalition formerly called Azimio la Umoja had taken the Ukombozi Alliance name. That camp, The Star reported on 23 September, wanted Kalonzo named joint candidate with Sifuna as his running mate, a plan we covered in Kalonzo's 10 October target.

Sifuna's movement had already lost one name. The Registrar rejected "Linda Mwananchi Movement" as a party name earlier, and his allies appealed that decision to the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal.

The options on the table

The most developed is The Mwananchi Party. Babu Owino (Embakasi East) announced on 18 September, at a burial in Nyakach, that it would be his vehicle for 2027. Pulse reported that it was the former Muungano Party, which he took over and renamed. The Nation reported on 17 September that Owino wanted Sifuna to run for president on it. At Nyakach, though, Owino put it another way: Sifuna would lead the Ukombozi People's Party and he would lead The Mwananchi Party. The Registrar's letter knocked out the first half of that arrangement.

UDP itself is still there. The letter refused one name and did not deregister the party, which is associated with the late Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo. George Natembeya (Governor, Trans Nzoia), who drove the rebrand, could in principle apply for a different name. No such application had been reported by 23 September.

Then there is DAP-K. At a funeral in Saboti in September, Eugene Wamalwa, leader of the Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K), accused the Registrar of frustrating the Linda Mwananchi leaders, The Standard reported. "Should Sifuna feel frustrated, I warmly invite him to join DAP-K, as we share a common goal of forming a new government," he said.

The Star reported on 26 August that the movement was looking at "at least four existing political parties". On 22 September Godfrey Osotsi (Senator, Vihiga) said the vehicle "could be among the parties being mentioned or it could be a completely new party."

The last route runs through the tribunal. It heard the dispute over the Linda names on 14 September and said it would rule on 30 September. A win would give the movement its own name back, though a name alone is not a registered party.

The deadlines that narrow the choice

A movement cannot put anyone on a ballot. Only a registered party or an independent candidacy can, as we explained in why a movement needs a party.

The IEBC's Gazette Notice No. 13497 of 20 August 2026 and the Registrar's timelines of 6 September leave little room:

A brand-new party has to be provisionally and then fully registered before it can do any of that. An existing registration saves weeks. How Kenya registers a party covers the steps, and the October deadlines explains what each one decides.

What to watch

• The tribunal's Linda decision, which it said would come on 30 September.
• The unveiling Sifuna's allies promised for around 3 October, and whether it names an existing registered party.
• Whether Natembeya's UDP files a new name, or Sifuna and Owino end up on one vehicle.
• Kalonzo's running-mate offer, reported by The Star on 23 September, which would put Sifuna on another party's ticket altogether.