The Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) will review the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal ruling that overturned its decision on the Linda Mwananchi Movement before making a fresh decision on the proposed party’s name and abbreviation.
The ORPP said it will first study the Tribunal’s order and then reconsider the reservation of the movement’s particulars in line with the law and the directions issued by the Tribunal.
The office announced the move in an update shared on X on Friday, saying it had taken note of feedback received through various platforms over the reservation of the proposed political party.
“Registrar analyses court order on Linda Mwananchi Movement.”
The ORPP said the review is part of the process of resolving the dispute over the proposed name, which has been contested since the applicants first submitted their request to the Registrar.
After completing the review, the Registrar will communicate the decision to the applicants within the period set by the Tribunal.
“Registrar gives feedback to the applicants within 7 days as the Court directed.”
The dispute dates back to June 2026, when Suba South MP Caroli Omondi, former Law Society of Kenya president Faith Odhiambo and Pauline Njoroge applied to reserve the name Linda Mwananchi Movement.
The application faced challenges during the reservation process and later became the subject of proceedings before the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal.
According to the proceedings reported at the time, the applicants said their June 4 application was initially rejected on public interest grounds.
They later said the Registrar agreed to reserve the name after a meeting held on August 4, only for the decision to be reversed three days later.
The applicants said they were subsequently informed that the existence of the Liberty National Democratic Alliance, commonly known as LINDA, was among the issues considered in rejecting their application.
They then moved to the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal, challenging the Registrar’s decision and seeking a review of the circumstances surrounding the refusal to reserve the proposed name.
The case also brought into focus the use of the word “Linda” and the legal position of the existing LINDA entity.
The Tribunal considered whether the earlier reservation of the LINDA name by the Liberty National Democratic Alliance was still valid and whether it could prevent the applicants from seeking reservation of the Linda Mwananchi Movement.
On September 30, 2026, the Tribunal set aside the Registrar’s August 7 decision that had declined to reserve the Linda Mwananchi Movement and its abbreviation.
It directed the Registrar to reconsider the application in accordance with the law, sending the matter back to the ORPP for a fresh decision based on the Tribunal’s findings and the applicable legal provisions.
The Tribunal also examined the validity period of the earlier LINDA reservation.
According to reports on the ruling, the reservation was subject to a statutory 90-day period within which a formal application for provisional registration was expected to be made.
The Tribunal found that no formal application for provisional registration had been submitted within the required period.
It therefore determined that the expired reservation could not continue to give the existing entity priority over a later application.
The Linda Mwananchi applicants had argued that the Registrar’s handling of their request had affected their efforts to establish the proposed political party.
Omondi, Odhiambo and Njoroge have identified themselves as founders of the movement and were seeking reservation of its name and abbreviation as part of the process of setting up the political party.
Following the September 30 ruling, the ORPP has now set out the steps it will take before communicating its decision to the applicants.
The office said it would continue handling the matter in line with the rule of law, which it listed among its core values.
“The ORPP continues to operate on the 'Rule of Law', one of the Office's core values in all its processes.”
The Registrar also said the office would continue carrying out its duties independently and within the constitutional and legal framework governing political parties.
“The Office handles its matters objectively and independently, within the Constitution and the laws.”
The next step will be for the Registrar to analyse the Tribunal’s order, reconsider the reservation request for the Linda Mwananchi Movement and its abbreviation, and give feedback to the applicants within seven days as directed by the Tribunal.