Suba South Member of Parliament Caroli Omondi has pushed back against claims that the Linda Mwananchi rally that was led by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna in Kitengela on Sunday, February 16, 2026, was scripted.

Speaking on Monday, February 16, 2026, during an interview with one of the local radio stations, Omondi, who is part of Sifuna’s team that has since been labelled as Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party rebels, said that the Kitengela rally that drew massive crowds was organised and planned by Gen Z.

According to Omondi, Sifuna, and his team were just mere guests at the rally. He further argued that the team is working towards forming a coalition that will be able to bring 16 million votes.

“We have done our analysis, and I think we can bring a coalition of 16 million votes, including Gen Zs, and we are happy. Actually, Kitengela was a Gen Z rally. They organised it themselves; they planned it. We were just mere guests,” Omondi said.

He went ahead to claim that Sifuna’s team is bringing everyone on board, including the civil society.

He also noted that the Kitengela rally was meant to honour the late ODM leader Raila Odinga’s legacy and that Sifuna was the symbol of that.

“And you could clearly see even civil society, Bob Njagi and his team, were very involved. It was to prevent Baba’s legacy, and Sifuna became the symbol of it. It was broader than we expected because a lot of people are coming on board,” he said.

Omondi’s remarks come amid claims that the Linda Mwananchi Kitengela rally was either scripted or funded by the Kenya Kwanza administration.

Akombe’s remarks

Former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) commissioner Roselyn Akombe has ignited political debate following a cryptic but pointed reaction to the rising profile of Sifuna after his massive rally in Kitengela.

Taking to her official X account on Monday, February 16, 2026, Akombe cautioned Kenyans against what she described as “manufactured messiahs” in the political arena, charismatic leaders seemingly positioned as fierce critics of the government, only to later align with the very powers they claim to oppose.

“The games being played, waaah! They “manufacture” a charismatic messiah, throw a few teargas canisters at him (yes, it is often a him), and present him as someone fighting power. We, who love drama, fall for the ruse! Punde si punde, they are on the same table, handshakes,” Akombe wrote on X.

Although she did not directly name Sifuna, her remarks came hot on the heels of the Nairobi Senator’s high-energy rally in Kitengela, which drew significant crowds and amplified his profile within opposition politics, with the police lobbing teargas to disperse the charged crowd.

Funding by Ruto

Mumias East Member of Parliament Peter Salasya has also claimed that the Linda Mwananchi rallies headlined by Sifuna, Babu Owino, and James Orengo are being funded by President William Ruto.

According to Salasya, the whole event was carefully planned to create an impression that Sifuna and his colleagues are anti-government while they are clandestinely working for Ruto.

In a statement on his social media accounts accompanied by a video on Monday, February 16, 2026, Salasya unpacked his views following yesterday’s events in which two factions of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) held parallel rallies in Kitengela and Tononoka Grounds, respectively.

“All these meetings ya Kitengela na ya Tononoka are being sponsored fully by the government na hakuna goon ametumwa hapo,” he said.