By Anderson Ojwang
From a frying pan into the fire, that is the political baptism that Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna is going through currently.
Surrounded by imposters, government agents and genuine supporters all forming a cocktail, Sifuna finds himself in a political quagmire that he has wriggled himself out of to present his presidential credentials to Kenya.
The honeymoon and the hype are over, and it is now time to deliberately reckon and respond to the masses calling for him to be the sixth President of Kenya.
From mere political rhetoric and sloganeering, Sifuna must now stand up to be counted as a formidable presidential aspirant to challenge President William Ruto and make reality the one-term mantra of the opposition.
Walking from the shackles and shadows of his mentor, the late Raila Amolo Odinga, Sifuna must now be his own man and draw his own clout and political identity.
The ODM advantage of Secretary-General is long gone, and the comfort of the party structures is no longer there to shield and anchor his ambition, and now he must find an independent vehicle to ride on.
The ODM Fire
Sifuna failed to read the signs on the wall over his continued stay in ODM and remained glued to the party, hoping to take it over, which became a cropper.
The belief flopped dismally and left Sifuna wounded as a politician who was not strategic on his next course of action.
While his allies in the Linda Mwananchi group rushed to form and register political parties through their proxies, Sifuna remained in hope of a political miracle happening and taking over ODM. A sad dream.
In ODM, he was roasted and lost out in the party, but co-founded Linda Mwananchi with Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, Siaya Governor James Orengo and Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi, among others.
The group has gained huge support and propelled Sifuna to be one of the significant presidential aspirants in the country, but while his colleagues are busy popularising their parties, he is still in the bush hunting for one.
Ukombozi
Sifuna is currently on fire over a political vehicle for his presidential bid and lost the name Ukombozi to Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, who rebranded the Azimio la Umoja coalition to Ukombozi Alliance.
The growing dispute over the “Ukombozi” political identity has taken a fresh turn after Wiper Patriotic Front spokesperson Ndegwa Njiru challenged Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna’s allies to prove that they had reserved the name with the Registrar of Political Parties.
Taking to his official X account on the night of Tuesday, September 22, 2026, Njiru dismissed claims that Sifuna’s camp had secured the name, insisting that no reservation had been made by the Senator.
“Mr Sifuna has never reserved the name UKOMBOZI with the Registrar of Political Parties. I challenge anyone with evidence to the contrary to produce it,” Njiru said.
Kalonzo’s announcement on September 21, 2026, that the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition had rebranded as The Ukombozi Alliance (TUA).
Kalonzo said the coalition had unanimously agreed to adopt the new name as part of a broader restructuring of its political activities.
UDP
Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya recently announced that Sifuna would use UDP to run for President.
But that announcement looked premature and punctured after the Deputy Party Leader dismissed it as backdoor deals.
This has left Sifuna exposed as a political amateur who will keep on failing in the wrong hands of political friends.
Natembeya has said Sifuna will use the United Democratic Party (UDP) to vie for the presidency as opposition leaders work towards fielding a single presidential candidate.
“When the Luhya Community unite to form their party, they call it tribalism. Let us ignore all that noise. We shall form a strong regional party even if it is a community party; we unite because strong communities make a strong nation.”
Natembeya identified UDP as the party Sifuna would use in the presidential contest. He said Sifuna could contest under UDP or the coalition being formed by opposition parties.
But in a press statement, the Vice-Chairman, Mohammed Abikar, termed the move by Sifuna to use the party as his presidential vehicle as rumours circulating that Governor George Natembeya and Senator Edwin Sifuna are taking over the United Democratic Party leadership.
“Let me be clear: no such arrangement exists. The information disseminated through news outlets is riddled with fraudulent intent and brazen falsehood, dressed up in sensationalism. All this noise is nothing short of flair for dramatics,” he wrote.
He said the party’s current officials were duly elected at the last National Delegates Conference held at Multimedia University in 2022.
“Only a National Delegates Conference of bona fide party delegates convened through the National Executive Council has the authority to fill the party leader position left vacant by the passing of our substantive leader, Hon. Cyrus Jirongo,” he said.
He said any transition to a new party leader must be deliberate, well-planned, and anchored on one conditional principle: the party constitution—not backroom deals.
“Any deliberate attempt by anyone to seize the party leadership through manipulation is an exercise in futility. UDP needs new leadership—but it must come through the party’s rules and constitution, not shortcuts,” he wrote.
He said nobody would join UDP through the backdoor. Anyone who wants to join us must come through the front door.
“The party constitution is clear on the roadmap for filling the party leader slot and other positions once vacant by resignation or death. Any shortcut will end in political bloodshed and a serious legal battle.
We have instructed our lawyers to be vigilant on this matter and to take necessary legal action, if and when the party constitution and the rights of members are infringed. We will stop them and institute legal action against anyone with intent to interfere with the official party records,” he said.
Walk Strong
Despite the hurdles, Sifuna’s fortunes continue to grow, and he remains a formidable presidential candidate.
