Political analyst Professor Herman Manyora has said that Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna is the most popular presidential candidate at the moment and has more votes compared to the current president. William Ruto

In a morning interview on a local radio station on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, Manyora said that the political wave of Sifuna should not be despised. However, Manyora has pointed out that he has no guarantee that the current political support that Sifuna is enjoying at the moment would last towards the general elections in 2027 and translate the support into actual votes.

“As it stands today, it is Edwin Sifuna who has the most votes in the country, more than even President Ruto,” Manyora said.

Manyora has attributed Sifuna’s rise in politics to his role within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and his duties, which he has performed over the years, to represent and defend the ideas of the party as the secretary general, which have made him the way he has become.

“This is not in support of Sifuna. It’s in support of the truth. Sifuna has begun in a great way since he belonged to a great political party and occupied a great position. He is a nobody out of nowhere,” Manyora added.

Birth of Linda Mwananchi

Manyora’s sentiments are timed as Sifuna’s political profile is on the rise in the Linda Mwananchi movement, where he has been listed among the key leaders in the movement who are shaping the movement’s direction and message.

Sifuna started being involved in the movement in early February 2026, when the internal tensions in the Orange Democratic Movement escalated. He became one of the strong voices of a young generation within the party who have been pushing towards a new direction before the 2027 election.

The movement was given publicity when he joined Embaksi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino and Siaya Governor James Orengo in launching grassroots activities in Linda Mwananchi, which is concerned with the political mobilisation of the citizens.

The first nationwide public rally was held on February 15, 2026, in Kitengela, and since then, countrywide rallies have been conducted, which have since developed into structured outreach programmes.

The initiative then expanded to organised mobilisation campaigns and online registration campaigns, with Sifuna positioning himself as a member of a reform-thinking group within the party system.

Sifuna has been insisting that the movement is concerned with the interests of the citizens and that the movement should not be compromised by high politics but rather should reflect the opinion of the common people.