A petition challenges TEP’s planned transition to the Linda Mwananchi Movement.
A TEP member has asked the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal to halt the November 13 conference over leadership and delegate selection disputes.
The Linda Mwananchi transition from The Equitable Party (TEP) faces a legal challenge ahead of its delegates conference. The party plans to hold the meeting on November 13, 2026, to consider its proposed name change.
However, Emmanuel Wellingtone Khamala has petitioned the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT) to stop the conference. Khamala, who identifies himself as a registered TEP member, disputes the party’s leadership and delegate selection processes.
Petition challenges Linda Mwananchi transition
Through his lawyer, Khamala argues that TEP presented Sifuna as party leader on October 4. He also alleges that the executive resolved to rename the party four days later without adequately consulting members.
The petitioner says members then raised objections in a letter dated October 28, ahead of the movement’s October 30 launch. During that launch, he claims, the party introduced leaders without allowing members to contest the positions.
Khamala further alleges that the party excluded members from key decisions and formed leadership structures without elections. He also challenges the delegates’ selection, arguing that they did not come from duly elected party structures.
He therefore wants the tribunal to suspend the November 13 conference until it hears and determines his complaint.
Party notice limits conference participation
Meanwhile, the party’s notice restricts attendance to designated delegates drawn from members registered when it published the conference notice. It also assigns each county a delegate quota based on its registered membership and requires strict compliance.
Alongside the proposed name change, delegates will consider other decisions needed to complete the transition. The conference is intended to formalise the move from TEP to the Linda Mwananchi Movement.
Khamala’s complaint names TEP’s National Executive Committee and National Elections Board as respondents. It also names the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties and the Political Parties Liaison Committee. Sifuna is an interested party in the case.
