Linda Mwananchi Movement Member Seeks Tribunal Order to Halt November 13 Delegates Conference

The Political Parties Disputes Tribunal received a petition on November 11 from Emmanuel Willyngtone Khamala, a member of the Linda Mwananchi Movement, asking the tribunal to stop the party’s National Delegates Conference scheduled for November 13, 2026.

Khamala alleges that the party’s leadership was appointed without elections, that registered members were excluded from key decisions, and that the party failed to deposit its constitution with the Registrar of Political Parties, arguing that the Equitable Party Constitution remains the governing document.

In the petition, Khamala names the party’s National Executive Committee, the National Elections Board, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties and the Political Parties Liaison Committee as respondents, and lists Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna as an interested party.

Khamala’s lawyer, Danstan Omari, said the complaint is based on violations of the Political Parties Act and the Constitution, stressing that political parties are public entities funded by taxpayers and must uphold transparency and accountability.

Omari also challenged Sifuna’s eligibility to lead the party, contending that he has not formally resigned from the Orange Democratic Movement and therefore remains a member of another political party, which the party constitution forbids.

The dispute traces back to the launch of the Equitable Party on October 4, 2026 at the Serena Hotel in Nairobi, where Sifuna was unveiled as leader, and to a subsequent resolution on October 8 by the party’s NEC to rename the outfit Linda Mwananchi Movement without adequate member consultation.

Khamala says that on October 30 the party announced leadership appointments that were not elected, and that members who wrote to the party on October 28 and again on November 6 received no response, prompting the tribunal filing.

The orders sought include a temporary suspension of the November 13 conference, a declaration that the current leadership is illegally constituted, and a directive for the party to conduct transparent grassroots elections before proceeding.

The tribunal has not yet ruled on the petition, and the respondents will have an opportunity to respond.