Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna’s Linda Mwananchi Movement is facing a fresh legal challenge as a party member seeks to stop its National Delegates Conference scheduled for Friday, November 13.
Emmanuel Khamala has moved to the High Court after the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal dismissed his request to stop the conference. Through his lawyer, Danstan Omari, Khamala has asked the court to intervene before the meeting takes place.
Khamala is also demanding the immediate release of the tribunal’s ruling. He wants to study the decision and use it to prepare an appeal against the dismissal of his application.
He argues that there is very little time left before the conference and that the meeting could make it harder to reverse the decisions he is challenging.
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has been named as an interested party in the High Court case. The Linda Mwananchi Movement is linked to The Equitable Party, whose officials decided to rebrand the party and operate under the new name.
Khamala originally challenged the decision by the party’s National Executive Committee and National Elections Board to change its name to the Linda Mwananchi Movement. He argued that ordinary registered members were not properly involved in the decision.
According to Khamala, changing the name of a political party is an important matter that should involve the wider membership. He believes that the party leadership could not make such a decision without giving members a chance to express their views.
He also challenged the nominations held on October 30 under the new party identity. Khamala disputed the tribunal’s finding that the nominations were lawful.
His position is that the nominations should not be recognised because they were conducted before the rebranding process was properly approved by the party membership.
The complainant has further questioned the appointment of party officials and the selection of delegates expected to attend the National Delegates Conference. He alleges that the party constitution was not followed when the officials and delegates were chosen.
Khamala says allowing the conference to continue would confirm leadership decisions made without the full participation of party members. He argues that this would violate Articles 27 and 91 of the Constitution.