A Gazette notice circulating online has sparked claims that Siaya Governor James Orengo and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino have taken over key leadership positions in the Linda Mwananchi political movement.
The document, identified as Gazette Notice No. 9787, appears to list changes to party officials, including references to Orengo and Babu Owino. However, the notice does not relate to Linda Mwananchi.
The official Kenya Gazette record shows that Gazette Notice No. 9787, published on June 26, 2026, concerned changes to the particulars of Muungano Party under the Political Parties Act.
What the gazette notice actually says
The notice was issued by the Registrar of Political Parties to notify the public of proposed changes to Muungano Party’s constitution and officials.
Among the positions listed are party patron, party leader, deputy party leader, national chairperson, secretary general, treasurer and organising secretary.
The document identifies Prof Kivutha Kibwana as a former party patron and contains details of changes involving several other officials.
This means references to Orengo and Babu Owino in the circulating document cannot be used as evidence that the two politicians have formally taken over Linda Mwananchi.
The confusion appears to have arisen from the similarity between political developments involving the movement and the separate Gazette notice concerning a registered political party.
Linda Mwananchi is a separate political movement
Linda Mwananchi has emerged as a political platform associated with Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and other opposition figures as they build a grassroots mobilisation campaign ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The movement has publicly presented itself as a platform centred on citizens’ participation, constitutionalism, democracy, social justice and accountable government.
Its official platform describes Linda Mwananchi as a movement seeking to exercise citizens’ constitutional right to determine the form of governance in Kenya.
Recent political activity has also brought Sifuna, Orengo and Babu Owino into the same political conversation.
Citizen Digital reported in July that the three were involved in Linda Mwananchi’s grassroots mobilisation efforts.
More recently, political discussions have focused on whether opposition leaders can work together and eventually agree on a single presidential candidate for the 2027 election.
What the notice does not prove
The key distinction is that a Gazette notice affecting Muungano Party is not evidence of a change in Linda Mwananchi’s leadership.
It also does not establish that Orengo has become patron of Linda Mwananchi or that Babu Owino has become its party leader.
Linda Mwananchi’s political activities and the formal affairs of registered political parties are separate matters.
The official Gazette record therefore contradicts claims that Gazette Notice No. 9787 announced the formation or restructuring of a new Linda Mwananchi political party.
Why the distinction matters
With political realignments accelerating ahead of the 2027 elections, documents relating to registered parties can easily be misrepresented as evidence of new alliances or leadership changes.
The Gazette notice in question is a formal document, but its subject is Muungano Party, not Linda Mwananchi.
Meanwhile, Linda Mwananchi continues its political mobilisation, with Sifuna and other opposition figures publicly associated with the movement.
The circulating claim that the notice confirms Orengo and Babu Owino’s takeover of Linda Mwananchi is therefore misleading.
