Saboti MP Caleb Amisi has welcomed the latest court decision clearing the way for the reservation of the Linda Mwananchi Movement name, describing it as another milestone in the push to strengthen Kenya’s multiparty democracy.
Amisi, who leads the People’s Renaissance Movement, said the country’s multiparty system was achieved through years of struggle and should not depend on whether political parties support or oppose the government of the day.
His remarks came a day after the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal set aside the Registrar of Political Parties’ decision to reject the reservation of the Linda Mwananchi Movement name and abbreviation LMM.
The tribunal directed the Registrar to act on the application within seven days, finding that the earlier refusal had no legal justification.
In his reaction, Amisi congratulated those behind the movement, saying the latest development represented another triumph for Linda Mwananchi.
“Multipartism was achieved through blood and sweat, and was never to be conditional to support nor opposition of regime in power,” Amisi said.
The MP linked the court decision to what he described as a broader generational struggle for political renewal and national transformation.
“The fight for renaissance of our country is on and the call of our generation, the Fourth liberation must be won by all means necessary,” he said.
Amisi also praised the tribunal for what he described as its defence of constitutional democracy and the right to political association.
He said the decision demonstrated the importance of institutions protecting the legal framework governing political parties, adding that the tribunal had upheld the principles contained in Kenya’s constitutional and statutory order.
“Heko to Political Parties Tribunal court for upholding, protecting and preserving the tenets of our constitutional democracy with the stealthiness of a rhinoceros as enshrined in our domestic laws and espoused in our PM Big 5 manifesto,” he said.
The tribunal’s decision followed a challenge by Suba South MP Caroli Omondi, Pauline Njoroge and former Law Society of Kenya president Faith Odhiambo, who identified themselves as founders of the proposed movement.
The panel also found that an earlier reservation of the name LINDA had lapsed after the statutory 90-day period without an application for provisional registration.
It consequently held that the expired reservation could not be used to prevent another applicant from seeking the Linda Mwananchi name.
The ruling, however, does not by itself mean that Linda Mwananchi has been fully registered as a political party.
It clears the immediate hurdle surrounding reservation of the proposed name, with the promoters still required to meet other legal requirements for registration.