By Anderson Ojwang
Twenty-four years later, Kenyans are witnessing the events, political rivalry, bloated egos and betrayal that clouded the original Ford, which could have returned to haunt Linda Mwananchi.
The Ford, which was a political movement that brought constitutional change and the repeal of Section 2A, was primed to easily defeat the ruling party and then President Daniel Moi at the ballot.
But ahead of the 1992 first multi-party election, wrangles broke out between the acting chairman, the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, and the acting secretary-general, the late Martin Shikuku.
Oginga, who had been viewed as the undisputed presidential candidate, soon found himself fighting to stabilise the ship, and Shikuku joined hands with the returning opposition leader, the late Kenneth Matiba.
Matiba, who had been abroad for medical treatment after his release from prison and, upon his return to Kenya, was buoyed by the huge reception he got at the airport, changed his mind on the earlier political arrangements.
Matiba, when asked at the airport on arrival about the Ford Kenya presidency, replied that the people would decide.
That was the genesis of a fallout and eventual split of Ford into Ford-K of Jaramogi and Ford-Asili of Matiba and Shikuku.
Moi went ahead to win the elections, while Matiba came second and Odinga fourth.
The ghost
Linda Mwananchi, a political rebellion from the ODM, has grown to be one of the biggest political movements in the country.
The group is a creation of former ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino and Siaya Governor James Orengo, among others.
The outfit, which has been riding high, now faces the Ford moment, with a supremacy battle, bloated egos and power games threatening to derail its presidential journey.
Who is the party leader and which?
The quest for the seat of the party leader position and a political vehicle is turning into a nightmare for the outfit.
Orengo once declared himself as the party leader, while Babu and Sifuna both have claimed a similar stake.
Babu, at a press conference, said in their earlier consultation, they agreed to form a coalition, with him having his party and Sifuna too.
“We agreed that Sifuna to be the party leader of his party and I too to lead my party so that we form a coalition.
I have declared that I support Sifuna presidential bid as Linda Mwananchi,” he said.
But a section of leaders from Western Kenya want Sifuna to be the party leader of one party and the presidential candidate, and this is not sitting well with a section of principals who have registered and own parties.
Already, Sifuna has been offered the slot of party leader for Ukombozi Party of Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya, while Babu is the party leader of his political party.
Natembeya, the making of the problem
Natembeya, after his Tawe movement flopped, revived his political journey by joining Linda Mwananchi and became the lead and chief adviser of Sifuna.
He wants his Ukombozi Party of Kenya to be the main vehicle for Sifuna and Linda Mwananchi, which is not auguring well with a section of the group.
Natembeya, at a recent rally in Western, tried to overshadow Babu by grabbing the microphone from him over what he termed as protocol.
But Babu dismissed the action as consequential, saying Natembeya was, for the first time, attending a Linda Mwananchi rally in Trans Nzoia and did not understand the group.
“Linda Mwananchi knows how it does it things. May be he thought he was to be the one in charge but we told him he was welcomed to introduce the people and few other leaders. I was to introduce the senators and MPs. That is how ewe do things. I cannot allow anyone to come with his protocol from outside,” he said.
Speaking during a press briefing on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, Babu explained that he had secured a political party before Linda Mwananchi was formed and that discussions within the movement had initially identified his outfit as one of the possible vehicles for the 2027 contest.
“I called Sifuna; we met in his office and asked him about the Ukombozi political party. After that, there has been a little push and pull,” Babu said, explaining how the disagreement over the political vehicle emerged.
Natembeya has taken a different position, openly backing the Ukombozi People’s Party to be registered as the vehicle for Sifuna’s presidential bid.
The Trans Nzoia Governor responded to Babu’s remarks by insisting that Ukombozi would remain central to the movement’s plans.
“Ukombozi People’s Party and Sifuna will be the ones saving this country,” Natembeya said shortly after Babu addressed journalists.
The Ukombozi People’s Party is the rebranded United Democratic Party, which was initially associated with former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo. The Star reported that Sifuna had settled on Ukombozi as the political vehicle for his presidential ambitions.
Natembeya’s position marks a significant shift from his earlier caution against Linda Mwananchi forming a new political party. In March 2026, he warned that establishing another opposition party could weaken efforts to consolidate the opposition.
Same forest, different players
The Linda Mwananchi war is similar to the Ford moment. During the Ford era, it was the battle over who would become the president. Currently, it is the political party at stake.
During the Ford era, former President, the late Daniel Moi, was the main chess player, and currently, his mentee, President William Samoei Ruto, is the king.
Ruto recently predicted a fallout in the opposition, and Linda Mwananchi is already witnessing the storm.
Will Linda Mwananchi go the Ford way?
