Sifuna’s TEP moves to adopt Linda Mwananchi name
Sifuna’s TEP moves to adopt Linda Mwananchi name
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna’s The Equitable Party (TEP) is moving towards a new identity after its National Executive Council approved plans to rebrand the outfit as the Linda Mwananchi Movement (LMM).
The decision was reached during a meeting on Wednesday, paving the way for the party to begin the process of adopting the name that has featured prominently in Sifuna’s political mobilisation in recent months.
The Registrar of Political Parties has also approved changes to the names of TEP officials, clearing an administrative requirement ahead of the planned transition.
Sifuna launched TEP in Nairobi on Sunday and was presented as its party leader. He said the outfit would provide a political platform for a wider movement ahead of the 2027 General Election.
However, he indicated during the launch that TEP was only a temporary vehicle for the movement.
“In the coming days, and as resolved by the principals of Linda Mwananchi, we shall be seeking to rebrand the party to the Linda Mwananchi Movement,” Sifuna said.
He said the party would retain the TEP name if further hurdles were placed in the way of the proposed changes.
The move comes just days before political parties participating in the 2027 election are required to submit the names and specimen signatures of their authorised officials to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission by October 15.
Sifuna said TEP had been made available to the movement after attempts to establish a new political vehicle following his fallout with the ODM were unsuccessful.
The proposed rebranding also revives a dispute over the Linda Mwananchi name.
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The Registrar approved the reservation of Linda Mwananchi Movement on October 1 after the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal directed the office to reconsider an earlier decision rejecting the name.
However, another applicant, Charles Wanyonyi, has asked the Registrar to give priority to his application for reservation of the name Linda Mwananchi, Party of Kenya.
Wanyonyi says he submitted the application on February 24. The Registrar had previously rejected it, citing similarities with the slogan “Linda Mkenya, Boresha Kenya” and public-interest considerations.
At the launch of TEP, Sifuna presented the proposed political movement as an alternative to what he described as an establishment that had failed to address the challenges facing ordinary Kenyans.
If the proposed changes are completed, TEP will cease to be the identity of the political vehicle launched by Sifuna on Sunday, paving the way for the Linda Mwananchi Movement to become the platform for his wider political project ahead of the 2027 polls.
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