NAIROBI, Kenya Mar 14 – Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has announced that the Linda Mwananchi movement will stage a major rally at Tononoka Grounds in Mombasa after the end of the Ramadan festivities.
Sifuna announced on Saturday during a church service in Ruai, where he said the gathering will mark the resumption of the movement’s political mobilisation activities following a temporary break during the Muslim holy month.
The Linda Mwananchi campaign, which has been holding rallies across the country, had taken a brief hiatus after its last major meeting in Kakamega, which attracted large crowds.
Addressing congregants at PEFA Ruai Cathedral in Nairobi,the church bishop recalled a historic crusade held at Tononoka Grounds in 1957 where, according to church accounts, a blind man regained his sight.
Sifuna said the story resonated with the political message of the Linda Mwananchi initiative, expressing hope that the rally in Mombasa would help open the eyes of leaders to the struggles facing ordinary Kenyans.
“We hope that the spirit that was there in 1957, which healed that blind man, will also open the eyes of those in authority,” he said.
Youth Reinassance
Sifuna insisted the political awakening among youth cannot be suppressed despite intimidation and attempts to frustrate civic mobilization.
The Orange Democratic Movement Secretary-General maintained that threats and resistance targeting the Linda Mwananchi movement a platform bringing together youthful leaders to mobilise citizens in the push to unseat President William Ruto they will not intimidate them.
“They think the car with the presidential flag is not meant for many of us that we are just young people and that you need billions of shillings to get there,” he said.
The senator declared that the growing political consciousness among young people represents a generational movement that will continue regardless of obstacles placed in its path.
The senator accused unnamed actors of attempting to derail meetings and forums organised under the Linda Mwananchi initiative, which seeks to mobilise citizens around issues of governance, accountability and democratic participation.
“They are threatening us and trying to stop us from holding our meetings. But you (pastor) have already said that this struggle will not end with our generation, because the word of God is alive even if I may not be the one who finally gets there,”Sifuna noted.
Sifuna argued that such perceptions have historically been used to discourage young leaders and ordinary citizens from aspiring to the highest offices in the country.
He maintained, however, that the current generation of young people is determined to challenge those barriers and broaden participation in leadership.
Despite the pressure, Sifuna expressed confidence that the struggle for political inclusion and democratic reforms would continue beyond the current generation.
The senator also invoked his family’s political history, saying his involvement in activism and political advocacy is rooted in a legacy that stretches back decades.
“You know my history. I am not the first Sifuna.My uncle was doing exactly what I am doing today fighting for the same things back in the 1980s when I was only five years old,”Sifuna noted.
He identified his uncle as Lawrence Sifuna, saying he had been involved in similar struggles for democratic space and political freedoms during earlier periods of political contestation in the country.
“My uncle Lawrence Sifuna fought for the same cause I am fighting for today, and I can assure you that I will not be the last,” he said.
Sifuna said the Linda Mwananchi initiative has increasingly drawn interest from young people across the country who are seeking greater involvement in national affairs and decision-making processes.
He argued that the momentum behind the movement reflects a broader shift among the youth towards demanding accountability, fairness and equal opportunities in leadership.
