The petitioners, Pauline Njoki Njoroge, Faith Odhiambo and Michael Caroli Omondi, have moved to the Tribunal seeking to stop the Registrar from allowing another person or entity to use the name Linda Mwananchi, or any similar variation, as they pursue the registration of their political movement.

The dispute stems from an application submitted on June 4, 2026, seeking reservation of the name Linda Mwananchi Movement.

The petitioners say the Registrar initially rejected their application on the grounds of public interest but later agreed to reserve the name following a meeting held on August 4.

However, they claim the decision was reversed just three days later.

According to the petitioners, the Registrar cited the registration of another entity, Liberty National Democratic Alliance, which uses the acronym LINDA, as the basis for reversing the earlier decision.

The petitioners have described the Registrar’s position as contradictory and want the Tribunal to intervene before the disputed name is considered for another applicant.

Among the orders they are seeking is an injunction restraining the Registrar from considering, processing, reserving or registering the names “LINDA,” “LINDA MWANANCHI” or any similar variation in favour of another person or entity pending determination of the petition.

They argue that the decision threatens their constitutional right to participate in political activities under Article 38 of the Constitution.

The petitioners have also told the Tribunal that the Linda Mwananchi Movement has already developed a significant following through its digital platform.

They say that by August 13, 2026, the platform had attracted 55,592 self-subscribed members and more than 13,232 volunteers.

The figures, they argue, demonstrate that the movement is already identifiable by the disputed name and has attracted substantial public support.

The Political Parties Disputes Tribunal, chaired by Innocent Muganda, has certified the matter as urgent and directed the Registrar to respond to the application.

The Registrar has been ordered to file and serve her response by August 24, 2026, while the petitioners have until 11am on August 25 to file a supplementary affidavit.

The petition will be heard inter partes on August 25, 2026, at 2:30pm, when the parties will present their positions on the orders being sought.

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President William Ruto’s party United Democratic Alliance has fired back at Thursday’s High Court ruling that nullified its merger with the Alliance for National Change, describing the judgment as addressing “a matter that events have overtaken.”

In a statement released Friday, UDA’s 2nd Deputy Party Leader and Lamu Governor Issa Timamy declared the court’s finding fundamentally mischaracterized what actually transpired between the two parties.

“I would like to state categorically that the court ruling on the purported ANC-UDA merger is a matter that events have overtaken,” Timamy said, challenging the core premise of the legal challenge.

The governor drew attention to official records showing ANC dissolved itself through internal party processes nearly a year ago, arguing this makes talk of any merger legally meaningless.

“For the record, on March 14, 2025, vide a Gazette Notice No 3449, the then Registrar of Political parties, Ms. Ann Nderitu, notified all and sundry that ‘Pursuant to section 9 and 34C of the Political parties Act, Cap. 7 D, and paragraph 22, of the Second schedule to the Political Parties Act,’ that ANC at its Special National Delegates Congress on 7th February, 2025, in line with the party constitution, dissolved,” the statement read.

Timamy emphasized this was a critical legal distinction that undermined the entire court case.

“Clearly, what was done was a voluntary dissolution by the ANC party by its members, and therefore, the matter of the ANC Party having ‘merged’ with UDA is, with respect, not factual. In fact, and in law, there was never a merger between the two political parties,” he stated.

The governor suggested the court and litigants failed to properly examine official records before proceeding. “A casual reference to the Gazette Notice, as stated above, should have helped,” he added.

Taking direct aim at the ruling’s language, Timamy dismissed the notion that anything had been nullified.

“Consequently, to state that the ‘merger’ has been declared ‘unlawful’ by the court is to scribble yet another fiction. You cannot nullify a decision that never was in the first place!” he declared.

According to the UDA position, once ANC dissolved itself, all subsequent actions followed proper legal channels.

“After the dissolution, all ANC assets were lawfully transferred to the UDA, and the dissolved ANC’s members were fully integrated into the UDA following due process and established legal procedures. There exists no parallel structure, no competing claim and no legal or operational ambiguity whatsoever,” Timamy stated.

The response comes as President Ruto and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi face questions about their 2027 electoral strategy following Thursday’s court decision.

However, UDA appears unbowed by the legal setback.

“As members of the UDA, our priority is to protect the integrity of the party, consolidate unity and mobilize our members as we work decisively towards the re-election of H.E. President Dr William Samoei Ruto,” Timamy said.

He concluded by redirecting focus toward the government’s development agenda.

“Our focus remains on delivering the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) and ensuring real, measurable development outcomes for the people of Kenya,” the statement read.

The party has not indicated whether it plans to appeal Thursday’s ruling or seek other legal remedies, but the defiant tone suggests UDA intends to proceed as if the judgment carries no practical effect on its operations or membership structure.

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