NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 20 – Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna is facing mounting accountability questions over campaign financing after unveiling a trailer truck fitted with sound equipment for the ongoing Linda Mwananchi campaign caravan, raising eyebrows over how the ambitious mobilisation drive is funded.
The embattled ODM Secretary-General, who is challenging his removal at the Parties Tribunal, leads a splinter group of the Orange Party contesting continued cooperation with the government.
The Linda Mwananchi campaign was coined to counter a faction loyal to ODM’s Interim Leader Oburu Oginga, which has been running ‘Linda Ground’ tours whose funding Sifuna had previously questioned.
The emergence of a fully equipped sound truck on Friday fueled speculation over Sifuna’s financing, particularly as the faction leans toward the Uhuru Kenyatta-backed United Opposition alliance led by Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka.
Unveiling the truck, Sifuna suggested a financier had fulfilled their commitment without revealing details:
“We saw you struggling with sound… So you guys are serious! They will not believe! Tell me where we will slaughter and cook the 20 chickens I have been given here in Kakamega?”
Observers note that a single large-scale rally—including stage setup, sound system, mobilisation teams, media coverage, and security—can run into tens of millions of shillings, prompting questions about the tour’s funding.
“We know your salary. We’ve also campaigned, so we know the daily cost of this truck. Who is paying for this? How fast did you manage to get one and have it branded? In Kenya, nothing happens by chance,” a user identifying as Mwalimu Dida remarked.
Party funds or private backers?
So far, the tour has visited Busia, Kitengela, and is slated for Amalemba grounds in Kakamega County tomorrow.
Its near-clockwork schedule has intensified scrutiny, especially since Sifuna, while a prominent legislator and ODM Secretary-General, is not known for deep personal wealth or vast business holdings.
Even veteran campaign financiers admit that sustaining a nationwide mobilisation effort outside an official election period requires significant, predictable resources.
While Sifuna oversees ODM, a beneficiary of the Political Parties Fund (PPF), it is highly unlikely that Linda Mwananchi resources come from party coffers.
ODM finances are subject to statutory controls, multiple signatories, and oversight. Several senior signatories are aligned with President Ruto, making unilateral withdrawals for anti-government tours improbable.
Sifuna has previously challenged the funding of rival Linda Ground tours, alleging external financiers.
“I can state authoritatively here that the money and the resources you see being spent in those ODM rallies, the so-called Linda Ground forums, are not coming from ODM headquarters.”
Sifuna and other movement leaders have dismissed claims of external finacing amid stained claims linking Kenyatta to opposition campaigns.
“We will not respond to these rumours and unfounded allegations. If anyone has evidence, let them present it.”
