NAIROBI, Kenya Mar 14 – The Linda Mwananchi movement led by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has temporarily taken its newly launched website offline after thousands of Kenyans rushed to sign up, even as the platform faced a wave of malicious cyber attacks.
Sifuna disclosed on Saturday that the team was overwhelmed by the huge response from supporters after the website went live on Friday.
“What a start! http://Lindamwananchi.com went live yesterday and thousands of you signed up. That’s the energy we need,” he said.
“On behalf of the entire team, thank you so much! Expectedly there were thousands of malicious attacks on the website as well as hundreds of positive feedback on how we can improve.”
The Nairobi Senator said the team decided to take the site offline temporarily to fix the issues and incorporate ideas shared by supporters.
“We have taken the site offline to address the issues and incorporate your ideas. We ask for your patience kidogo tu. Have a good weekend,” he added.
– Thousands sign up on Linda Mwananchi website within hours –
The website was unveiled on March 13 as an online hub for supporters of the Linda Mwananchi movement to register and connect with organisers.
Within hours of its launch, more than 5,500 Kenyans had already signed up, according to organisers.
Thousands more followed the movement’s social media pages across Facebook, X, TikTok and Instagram.
Those seeking to join the initiative are required to complete a short registration process that includes confirming their voter registration status.
Supporters are also asked to pay a small Ksh10 fee during the sign-up process. Organisers say the amount helps verify genuine supporters and filter out automated or fake accounts.
After completing the process, new members receive a confirmation message welcoming them to the movement.
Sifuna has previously said the Linda Mwananchi initiative aims to build a strong grassroots structure capable of mobilising supporters across the country.
The online platform also allows members to volunteer, donate funds starting from as little as Sh10 and track upcoming events organised by the movement.
According to organisers, the next major gathering is scheduled to take place in Mombasa County on March 22.
The launch of the platform comes just days after the Linda Mwananchi faction raised concerns over attempts to register the name as a political party.
The group wrote to the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties asking it to block an application reportedly filed by an individual identified as Charles Wanyonyi.
Through lawyer Duncan Anzala, the faction warned that registering the party could allow individuals to misuse the movement’s name, images and goodwill to fraudulently solicit funds from the public.
“The political party is likely to use our clients’ names, images and goodwill to fraudulently get financing either from members of the public or other entities,” the faction said in its letter.
