Saboti Member of Parliament Caleb Amisi has broken ranks with his Linda Mwananchi team leader, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, after the latter showed willingness to partner their faction with the United Opposition team.

Speaking during an interview with a local TV station on Friday, February 27, 2026, the outspoken MP, an integral member of the Linda Mwananchi movement, which is largely comprised of rebels drawn from the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) who are opposed to party leader Oburu Odinga’s stance on leading the Orange party into supporting President William Ruto’s re-election bid in 2027.

Amisi strongly disagreed with Sifuna, who had recently expressed, during a sit-down interview, a willingness for the Linda Mwananchi movement to partner with the United Opposition in their shared ambition of making Ruto a one-term president.

However, Amisi argued that the issue is not merely about removing President Ruto from power but about addressing Kenya’s broader leadership crisis, which he says has persisted since independence.

According to him, Kenyans are fatigued by the recycling of the same crop of leaders, election after election.

“I will say that when Sifuna was wrong, because you joined an outfit, you must have aligned yourself ideologically. What do they stand for, and what do we stand for?”

He further contended that before entering into any alliance, the Linda Mwananchi team must first assess what the United Opposition stands for and examine its ideals.

Amisi warned that without careful evaluation, they risk falling into the same cycle of internal wrangles and endless infighting that has plagued ODM recently.

Conditions for merger

Okay, so before we are aligned, we can’t just wake up one day and say we are joining them. The issue is not just removing Ruto.

The issue is also trying to solve the traditional problems that Kenya has been experiencing: tribalism, corruption and the economy.

How do we need to share the same ideas? Otherwise, we might find ourselves in the same government.”

While clarifying that he is not entirely opposed to working with the United Opposition, Amisi insisted that any potential pact must come with clear conditions.

He stated that the opposition team must be willing to acknowledge and correct past mistakes and demonstrate readiness to support genuine reforms before formal talks can proceed.

Amisi further cautioned that should they rush into alliances carelessly, he might remain behind and let his fellow teammates go ahead.

Linda Mwanachi – Opposition merger

His remarks come just days after Sifuna publicly expressed readiness to merge the Linda Mwananchi faction with the United Opposition.

Sifuna argued that unseating President Ruto would require overwhelming national rejection cutting across all regions and demographics.

He described Ruto as a seasoned political operator with vast state machinery at his disposal, insisting that defeating him would require a victory margin of more than five million votes, something he believes can only be achieved through a united opposition front.

According to Sifuna, he cannot afford to see President Ruto secure another five-year term.

He further urged the United Opposition to continue with their endeavours aimed at popularising their camp.

He noted that he would not be part of splitting votes as seen in the past, nor would he want to wake up and hear that President William Ruto has won an election by a narrow margin of 200,000 votes, as happened in 2022, a situation he believes could have been avoided had they formed a pact with the United Opposition.

“If you speak to ordinary Kenyans, you know that when we need an overwhelming repudiation of William Ruto and everything that he stands for, it has to be overwhelming. We must beat William Ruto by at least 5 million votes,” Sifuna said.

“So in order for you to achieve that overwhelming repudiation, there is a common understanding amongst the population that we must approach this election as as a unit,” Sifuna stated

Gachagua backs Sifuna’s team

This also comes days after the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua extended an olive branch to the Sifuna-led team, labelling them “ODM B”.

He stated that if the faction fronts a formidable presidential candidate — such as Siaya Governor James Orengo — leaders within the United Opposition would be willing to shelve their own ambitions and rally behind a candidate from Sifuna’s camp.