NAIROBI, Kenya – Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya has said Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna could use the United Democratic Party (UDP) as his political vehicle if opposition parties agree to field a single presidential candidate in the 2027 General Election.
Natembeya said opposition leaders were working to maintain a united front while allowing individual parties to retain their own identities.
He identified UDP as the party that could carry Sifuna’s presidential bid, although Sifuna has not publicly confirmed that UDP will be his final political vehicle.
Natembeya Names UDP as Sifuna’s Possible Vehicle
Natembeya said UDP was available for use by Sifuna and could also form part of a broader opposition coalition.
“The party is there; Sifuna’s party is called the United Democratic Party; it is the one that we shall use,” Natembeya said.
He added that opposition parties would eventually negotiate over who should become their joint presidential candidate.
“When we go to the negotiating table to decide who the presidential candidate will be, I believe it will be Edwin Sifuna,” he said.
Opposition Parties Seek Single Candidate
Natembeya said the opposition could maintain separate political parties while still cooperating under a wider coalition.
He compared the approach with the Azimio coalition, which he said brought together about 25 parties behind former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
“When we said that we shall be united as the opposition, everyone has to be in their own house,” Natembeya said.
He said the ultimate objective was to agree on a single presidential candidate.
Ukombozi Party Plan Hits Setback
The discussion over Sifuna’s political vehicle comes after efforts to use the Ukombozi name encountered a setback.
The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties rejected an application by UDP to change its name to Ukombozi People’s Party, according to reports on the dispute.
The decision has intensified uncertainty over which party could ultimately carry Sifuna’s 2027 presidential campaign.
A UDP member had also sought clarification from the party over reports linking Sifuna and Natembeya to possible changes in its leadership.
Sifuna Party Expected to Be Unveiled
The party question comes as Sifuna’s political allies prepare to unveil a political vehicle associated with his presidential ambitions.
Digital communications strategist Pauline Njoroge recently said the party would be unveiled soon, although the identity of the vehicle was not confirmed in her announcement.
The uncertainty has contributed to disagreements within the Linda Mwananchi movement over the political vehicle to be used ahead of the 2027 election.
Babu Owino Backs Sifuna
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino has separately reaffirmed his support for Sifuna’s presidential ambitions despite disagreements over the movement’s political direction.
Babu has said he supports Sifuna for president and has continued to describe him as his preferred candidate for the 2027 election.
Reports have indicated that the disagreement within Linda Mwananchi has partly centred on the political parties that different leaders want to use in the next election.
Babu has also proposed cooperation between The Mwananchi Party and Ukombozi People’s Party under the Linda Mwananchi movement.
Gachagua Calls for Unity
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has urged Sifuna and Babu to resolve their differences and prevent disagreements among their supporters from deepening divisions within Linda Mwananchi.
Gachagua has also raised concerns over what he described as ethnic tensions emerging from exchanges between supporters associated with the two camps.
Natembeya, meanwhile, dismissed reports of deep divisions within the opposition as largely social-media noise and maintained that leaders were working towards selecting a common presidential flag bearer.
