Saboti Member of Parliament Caleb Amisi has criticised his Linda Mwananchi boss, Edwin Sifuna, who gave an ultimatum to Kenyans, telling them that they must register on the Linda Mwananchi platform up to 10 million for him to be convinced that they are serious and want him to vie for the presidency.

While speaking during an interview on Upfront Podcast aired on Thursday, April 2, 2026, the outspoken Saboti legislator stated that the Nairobi senator, who has been enjoying political clout in the recent past, might be having a fear of the unknown.

According to Amisi, Kenyans have a tendency of hyping a person and exude confidence in them as their leader, only to abandon them at the tail end.

“Maybe people put pushing Sifuna to a corner that he doesn’t want, probably, and that’s why he’s saying, ‘Unless I’m guaranteed with this one.'”

Gen Z’s endorsements

He cited Jubilee Deputy Party Leader Fred Matiang’i, whom Gen Zs during the 2024 protests expressed confidence in, saying he was the best leader to be president, forcing him, according to Amisi, to resign from his role at the World Bank, only for the Gen Zs to shift their focus away from him after he returned to the country.

Amisi further cited former Chief Justice David Maraga as another example, saying that the same Gen Zs really hyped Maraga, calling him the best leader and pushing him to declare his presidential bid after calls from Kenyans brought him out of retirement, only for those who had endorsed him to later shift their goalposts and show disinterest.

According to Amisi, Sifuna might be learning from this, and that is why he is issuing ultimatums to Kenyans and wants to gauge the seriousness of those hyping him.

Caleb’s advice to Sifuna

Caleb Amisi went ahead to tell the embattled ODM secretary general to guard what he says. He stated that a leader should not issue ultimatums, warning that people can easily get fed up and look for an alternative.

He noted that he will approach Sifuna privately and advise him that the sentiments he is making are not good for the course of their movement and the nation, since the Linda Mwananchi movement is a course for liberation, terming it a renaissance moment or renewal.

“Something that he needs to guard is what he says, because you cannot come and tell people that until you do this, they’ll get fed up and they tell you to go to hell. We have 50 million Kenyans; you can’t come and give us conditions for you to vie.”

“I will talk to him in private about some of the sentiments that we make in public, not being good for the course of our nation. This is a liberation of our country. That’s why we call it a renaissance moment. It is a rebirth. It is a renewal the country.”

Sifuna’s demands

This comes days after Sifuna unequivocally stated that Kenyans must show seriousness before he accepts their push to vie for the presidency.

He said they must register on the Linda Mwananchi platform, register as voters, and prove to him that they will vote for him in 2027 before he reveals his next step.

He added that there is a tendency among Kenyans to hype someone only to abandon them in the end.

“Kabla mnichoche, lazima nione takwimu. Tunataka tufanye census ya watu ambao wanajiita sifuna, tujue tuko wangapi, na mdhibitishe kwamba nyinyi ni wapiga kura na mtajitokeza kupiga kura kwa hiari yenu,” he stated.