Wiper Blasts Sifuna after Kalonzo Was Heckled in Linda Mwananchi Event: “There Must Be Respect”

Wiper Party spokesperson Ndegwa Njiru accused Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna of disrespecting Kalonzo Musyoka at a Nairobi opposition eventKalonzo was heckled by youths after he suggested the opposition had not yet settled on Sifuna as its 2027 presidential flagbearerNjiru raised the possibility that the heckling was stage-managed, though he provided no evidence to support the claimPAY ATTENTION: Mark TUKO.co.ke as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!

Wiper Party spokesperson Ndegwa Njiru has accused Nairobi senator Edwin Sifuna of failing to show adequate respect to party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, after Kalonzo was heckled at the Linda Mwananchi Movement launch event in Nairobi on Friday, October 30.

Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka with Linda Mwananchi’s Edwin Sifuna. Photo: Edwin Sifuna. Source: TwitterNjiru went further, suggesting the disruption may have been deliberately orchestrated, and called for Sifuna to be held accountable for how senior opposition figures are treated at shared political platforms.

Whilst Sifuna momentarily took charge of the meeting to calm the audience down, the Wiper spokesperson says he is to blame for the spectacle.

Mixed reactions as Kalonzo ends speech after being heckled at Sifuna’s event

The event was held to mark the rebranding of The Equitable Party (TEP) to Linda Mwananchi, ahead of the 2027 general election.

Sifuna had been declared the party's leader and presidential candidate at TEP's launch on October 4, and the Linda Mwananchi name was formally adopted after no objections were raised during the seven-day window set by the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP).

The gathering also drew other opposition principals, including former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua of the Democracy for the Citizens Party and DAP-K's Eugene Wamalwa.

The incident unfolded when Kalonzo addressed the crowd and indicated that the opposition had not yet formally agreed on a flagbearer, drawing a comparison to the 2002 general election, when opposition forces united behind one candidate to defeat then government's candidate, Uhuru Kenyatta.

The remark was interpreted by sections of the crowd as hedging on Sifuna's candidacy rather than offering a clear endorsement.

Kalonzo ends speech abruptly after being heckled during Linda Mwananchi party launch: “Ama niwache”

Youths in attendance responded by heckling Kalonzo loudly enough that he threatened to leave the podium. Sifuna subsequently stepped in to calm the crowd.

Njiru suggested the episode as a slight against Kalonzo, a former vice president regarded as one of the opposition's most senior figures.

He offered no evidence that the heckling was stage-managed, and Sifuna's camp had not issued a response at the time of the incident.

The quarrel extends a pattern of friction between the two camps. Njiru has previously challenged Sifuna's team over ownership of the Ukombozi political name.

Last weekend, he also accused DCP deputy leader Cleophas Malala of "driving a divisive knife" through the opposition, after Malala called on Kalonzo to throw his weight behind Sifuna's presidential bid.

The tension comes despite Sifuna and Kalonzo having met at Kalonzo's Karen command centre, where opposition leaders publicly committed to presenting a united front going into 2027.

Sifuna faces stiff competition within the opposition itself.

Kalonzo has stated plainly that 2027 is his turn on the ballot, having stepped aside in previous cycles to support Raila Odinga, most recently in 2022.

Others positioning themselves include Martha Karua of the People's Liberation Party, Wamalwa, Gachagua, and former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i, who is running on a Jubilee Party ticket.

Kai Eli (Politics and current affairs editor) Eli Kai is currently working with TUKO as a politics and current affairs editor. He has six years of experience in digital journalism. Eli joined Tuko.co.ke in 2021. Email: eli.odaga@tuko.co.ke