Embattled ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna has dismissed claims that he has been receiving political support from former president Uhuru Kenyatta to mobilise backing for the Linda Mwananchi tours conducted by his faction.
Speaking during an interview on NTV on Tuesday morning, the Nairobi senator said he has not been in any political conversations with the former head of state, describing the online allegations as unfounded.
The ODM Secretary General noted that public expectations that he would automatically be part of the Azimio leadership structure were misplaced, maintaining that his current focus is only on activities within ODM and the Linda Mwananchi movement.
”No, I have not had a conversation with him (Uhuru Kenyatta). People expected that because Sifuna is the SG of ODM, he is automatically a member of the council of Azimio. So I do not have information on what is happening in Azimio. You can only ask me questions about what is happening in ODM and Linda Mwananchi,” Sifuna said.
The outspoken senator also addressed rumours suggesting that the Linda Mwananchi tours were being financed by the former president’s political network, saying the movement has largely relied on grassroots goodwill and public contributions.
”We will give you a breakdown of our expenses in our past campaigns, and before that, we can tell you that we have been largely relying on goodwill and support from the common mwananchi, which we are very happy about,” he added.
On his political ambitions, Sifuna said the primary objective of the Linda Mwananchi caucus is to build a strong opposition force capable of challenging the administration of President William Ruto in future elections.
He said the opposition faction will eventually front a presidential candidate, maintaining that the choice will be made through extensive consultations and informed by empirical political analysis within the coalition.
”The issue of settling on the leader and who will lead us against Ruto must be a structured process. We will look at how many votes we can command from our followers. We have a duty of a lifetime to rescue our country, and this should therefore not be about Sifuna,” he said.
Sifuna further argued that the movement should cultivate several strong presidential contenders rather than concentrate power around a single figure, suggesting that at least ten viable candidates should emerge from the faction.
”I want us to grow this movement to a point that there are like 10 viable candidates for the presidency so that if they somehow go for one, nine others can be able to vie for the presidency,” he said.
He added that defeating the current administration would require a significant electoral margin, stating that the faction should aim to beat President Ruto by at least five million votes to demonstrate public dissatisfaction with the government.
”We must beat William Ruto by at least 5 million votes to make it clear that we are tired of his administration. We must be one force against William Ruto,” he said.
Regarding possible cooperation with the United Opposition formations, Sifuna dismissed the matter as not a major agenda item, saying the faction should operate with a strategic approach rather than align immediately with other groups.
