Kabuchai Member of Parliament Majimbo Kalasinga has rejected efforts to reduce Linda Mwananchi team leader Edwin Sifuna to a Bungoma politician.

While speaking during an interview with a local radio station on Friday, June 5, 2026, the MP, who is also a member of the Edwin Sifuna-led Linda Mwananchi movement, defended the embattled Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Secretary General.

He argued that Sifuna has been accepted nationally as a viable presidential candidate and should not be pulled back into regional politics.

His remarks come after some leaders from the Western region insisted that nobody can ascend to a national leadership position without first securing the backing of their community. However, Kalasinga dismissed this argument, maintaining that Sifuna has already been accepted on the national stage.

“Luckily enough, Sifuna has not been branded as a Luhya politician. He has been treated as a Kenyan, and that is the advantage Sifuna has. But when I hear someone saying that Sifuna should first explain his agenda to the people of Western Kenya, then that is simply reducing him to a Bungoma politician, and we do not want that.” Kalasinga stated

According to the MP, the few Linda Mwananchi rallies they have held across various parts of the country have demonstrated that many Kenyans want Sifuna to become the president of Kenya, regardless of his tribe or where he comes from.

Sifuna meets Bukusu elders

The remarks also come just days after the Nairobi senator held a meeting with Bukusu elders at the home of United Opposition spokesperson Mukhisa Kituyi, who presided over the gathering. According to Mukhisa, the high-level meeting was only the beginning, with more engagements expected in the coming days.

He stated that the meeting provided an avenue for welcoming Sifuna into the opposition fold and the fight for what he termed the Fourth Liberation.

Sifuna’s presidential ambitions

This comes at a time when leaders from Western Kenya continue to express mixed reactions to Sifuna’s presidential ambitions. Bungoma Governor Ken Lusaka has poured cold water on Sifuna’s national ambitions, arguing that he lacks the political muscle required and that such a move could even damage his political career.

Majimbo Kalasinga, alongside other MPs from the region, has come out strongly in defence of Sifuna, insisting that the time is ripe for his leadership and that the whole country is ready for him. They also slammed Lusaka, claiming that he has little to show for the many years he has been in leadership.