How government-backed bloggers are creating tension in Linda Mwananchi

Linda Mwananchi teal led by Senator Edwin Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino heading for a political rally at Jacaranda Grounds in Nairobi. [Kanyiri Wahito, Standard]

The new political Linda Mwanachi juggernaut appears to have sent tremors in government circles, and the response is a massive online campaign aimed at creating a split among the movement's key leaders.

Sources within the movement argue that an online campaign portraying its leaders as divided is being used to undermine its growing momentum ahead of the 2027 General Election.

For the past several days, bloggers have increasingly fuelled narratives of a rift between Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, particularly over claims about who mobilised the September 13 Jacaranda rally in Nairobi.

Linda Mwananchi has held mammoth rallies in Western, Trans Nzoia, Meri, Voi and Kisumu among other areas.

The push and pull have largely played out online, with bloggers amplifying competing narratives and presenting the disagreement as evidence of a potential crack within the Linda Mwananchi brigade.

Sources within the movement, however, claim the online campaign is deliberate and intended to create the perception that internal disagreements are already consuming the opposition outfit.

The sources allege that some bloggers pushing the narratives are being facilitated, with individuals allegedly receiving a monthly stipend of Sh45,000.

They claim the objective is to create mistrust between leaders and supporters and eventually scatter Linda Mwananchi before it can consolidate the momentum generated by its recent rallies.

The claims come against the backdrop of a series of increasingly well-attended Linda  Mwananchi rallies across the country, with the Jacaranda gathering becoming the latest demonstration of the movement's growing visibility.

Sources argue that the size of the crowds and the rising profile of Sifuna have caused discomfort within government circles, particularly as the movement begins attracting attention beyond the regions traditionally associated with the opposition.

Rather than attacking the movement directly, the sources claim, the strategy is to exploit existing political ambitions and disagreements and amplify them online until they begin to look like an organisational crisis.

The Babu-Sifuna narrative has provided an opportunity for this.

Babu has ambitions for the Nairobi governor's seat in 2027 and has previously spoken about seeking the presidency in 2032, while Sifuna has increasingly emerged as the face of Linda Mwananchi's presidential campaign.

But Babu has repeatedly declared his support for Sifuna's 2027 presidential bid.

During his press conference yesterday, he announced that he would reduce his attendance at some Linda Mwananchi rallies to concentrate on mobilising Nairobi, which has 85 wards and nearly 2.5 million registered voters, for the movement and Sifuna.

“I will support Sifuna as a presidential candidate in 2027. He is our presidential candidate,” Babu said.

He also defended his decision to focus on Nairobi, saying the scale of the capital required a different mobilisation strategy.

“Nairobi has 85 wards. I know it is not easy, the resources it needs, the work it needs. It is a big city, it is the capital city,” he said.

Babu's decision to concentrate on Nairobi has therefore been presented by his supporters as a strategic mobilisation decision rather than a withdrawal from Linda Mwananchi.

The online debate intensified around the Jacaranda rally, where questions about mobilisation were used to fuel speculation over the relationship between the two politicians.

An incident involving Babu and a Linda Mwananchi mobiliser during the rally added further material to the online narratives, with some commentators interpreting the confrontation as evidence of deeper divisions.

Linda Mwananchi supporters headed for a political rally at Jacaranda Grounds in Nairobi. [Kanyiri Wahito, Standard]

Yet Babu's own public statements point to continued support for Sifuna.

“I am supporting Edwin Sifuna. No one in Linda Mwananchi knows him more than I. We have endured a lot together in ODM until where we are today. I am with him 100 per cent,” Babu previously said.

Babu has, however, also been clear about his own ambitions. His immediate target is the Nairobi governor's seat in 2027, after which he has indicated that he intends to pursue the presidency in 2032.

That political roadmap provides fertile ground for speculation over a possible future contest with Sifuna, but it does not in itself demonstrate a current split.

The controversy instead points to a broader challenge facing Linda Mwananchi as it attempts to turn growing public enthusiasm into an organised political machine.

At Jacaranda, sections of the crowd openly embraced Sifuna as a possible successor to the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, further raising his national political profile.

The development has added weight to the perception that Sifuna is emerging as the movement's strongest presidential figure.

But Babu has warned opposition leaders against confusing crowd sizes with electoral victory, drawing from his experience campaigning with Raila across the country.

“We saw very huge rallies when Baba did these rallies. I went with Baba to 280 constituencies, out of 290 constituencies. We walked almost 95 per cent of the whole country. But look at where we landed. Baba was never sworn in as president of the Republic of Kenya,” Babu said.

He has consequently urged the opposition to focus on strategy rather than simply holding rallies.

“We need to spend more time strategising. Do not spend more time campaigning. Spend more time strategising,” he said.

His warning highlights the challenge facing Linda Mwananchi. Beyond attracting crowds, the movement must build structures, settle questions surrounding its political vehicle and registration, accommodate competing political ambitions and convert its growing visibility into votes.

It is these vulnerabilities that sources believe are being targeted through the online narratives.

A sustained perception of division could weaken public confidence in the movement, discourage potential allies and allow opponents to portray Linda Mwananchi as another opposition formation destined to collapse under competing ambitions.

For now, Babu remains publicly committed to Sifuna's presidential bid even as he builds his own political base in Nairobi, while Sifuna continues to enjoy growing support at Linda Mwananchi rallies.

The more immediate battle may therefore be taking place online, where political narratives can gain traction long before disagreements become actual organisational fractures.

For a government facing a new opposition movement that is drawing large crowds and giving Sifuna an increasingly national platform, the growing online focus on internal divisions raises a bigger political question, is Linda Mwananchi genuinely cracking, or is the appearance of a crack itself becoming part of the battle to contain its rise?