Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has temporarily taken the Linda Mwananchi website offline as his team works to resolve technical problems and improve the platform following an overwhelming response during its launch.
In a message shared on Saturday, Sifuna said the platform, which went live recently, attracted a large number of supporters who quickly signed up, showing strong interest in the initiative.
“What a start! Lindamwananchi.com went live yesterday, and thousands of you signed up. That’s the energy we need,” Sifuna wrote.
He said the early response to the platform was encouraging and reflected the level of engagement his team hoped to see as the initiative begins to take shape.
At the same time, the senator revealed that the website also faced hostile activity shortly after it went live, with attempts made to interfere with its operations.
“Expectedly, there were thousands of malicious attacks on the website as well as hundreds of positive feedback on how we can improve,” he said.
Sifuna explained that the technical team decided to temporarily shut down the platform to address the issues and incorporate suggestions shared by users.
“We have taken the site offline to address the issues and incorporate your ideas. We ask for your patience, kidogo tu,” Sifuna said, urging supporters to remain patient while the improvements are carried out.
The Linda Mwananchi platform is part of Sifuna’s broader political mobilisation efforts, which also include the Linda Mwananchi caravan that has been engaging citizens in different parts of the country in recent months.
Through the digital platform, supporters can register, share ideas, and participate in discussions and planning for upcoming political activities linked to the initiative.
The project has also sparked debate within the Orange Democratic Movement, where Sifuna has been among leaders who have openly questioned the party’s cooperation with the broad-based government arrangement.
The political framework has been associated with party leader Oburu Odinga, whose allies have supported working with the current administration through the Linda Ground Initiative.
Sifuna has taken a more cautious position on the arrangement, presenting the Linda Mwananchi initiative as a platform aimed at engaging citizens directly and collecting their views.
According to the senator, the platform will also help his team gauge the level of grassroots support and shape political strategies as the country approaches the next general election scheduled for 2027.
Even as the initiative gains attention, Sifuna has previously dismissed calls from some supporters urging him to consider running for the presidency in the future.
He has said such decisions require careful planning and a realistic political assessment.
The senator has maintained that elections are ultimately decided by actual votes on the ground.
For now, his team says it is focused on improving the website’s functionality before restoring full access to users.
Sifuna ended his message by thanking supporters for their enthusiasm and asking them to remain patient as the technical adjustments continue.
“Have a good weekend,” Sifuna said.
