Governor Barasa welcomes Sifuna to Kakamega ahead of Linda Mwananchi rally
By Mabonga Makhanu, February 20, 2026Governor Fernandes Barasa has welcomed the Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, Linda Mwananchi team for their Kakamega rally.
While speaking during an interview on a local media station on Friday, February 20, 2026, the governor, who also serves as the chair of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) in Kakamega County, stated that despite being allied to the Oburu Odinga-led ODM Linda ground faction, he is not opposed to the rival Sifuna group holding a rally with Kakamega residents.
He went on to say that the ODM party is a democratic organisation, and even if he were opposed to the Sifuna team, he would not interfere with their engagement with the Kakamega people but would allow the democratic process in ODM to take place.
However, he insisted that the rally should be peaceful and devoid of insults or name-calling.
“Mimi ni wa mrengo wa Linda Ground. Ukiangalia jina ODM, ni chama cha demokrasia. Ikiwa watu wanakuja kusalimia watu wa Kakamega, wacha wakuje wafanye mkutano wao bila matusi. Mimi sina shida na mtu yeyote; wanakaribishwa hapa Kakamega,” Fernandes Barasa said.
The Linda Mwananchi rally, which emerged from the mainstream ODM Linda ground meeting due to differences in opinion between party leader Oburu Odinga and the embattled Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, is scheduled to take place on Saturday, February 20, 2026, at Amalemba Grounds, Kakamega Town.
It will begin in Mbale before climaxing at Amalemba Grounds on the same day.
Kakamega’s Linda Mwanachi rally
Leaders allied to Edwin Sifuna, such as Siaya Governor James Orengo, have already arrived in the area in preparation for the big day, which will see Sifuna showcase his political prowess after being ousted as Secretary General, a position he held for nearly a decade.
Sifuna would later receive a reprieve when the Political Parties Dispute Tribunal (PPDT) reinstated him, with the hearing of the case set for February 26, 2026.
Edwin Sifuna’s caravan, which includes a soundtruck painted in the Linda Mwananchi artwork and continues to capture the attention of netizens, has also arrived in the region ahead of tomorrow’s activity.
Linda ground siaya meeting
Elsewhere, the Linda ground meeting, championed by Oburu and other leaders within the party who support the broad-based government, is set to take place in Siaya County.
The event will also serve as Oburu’s homecoming following his appointment as the late Raila Odinga’s replacement after his death in October 2025.