NAIROBI, Kenya, July 19 -The Linda Mwananchi Movement will this weekend intensify its push for political influence in Western Kenya, with back-to-back rallies planned in Trans Nzoia on Saturday and Bungoma on Sunday as the outfit seeks to consolidate support ahead of the 2027 General Election.The tour will be led by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna alongside key allies, including Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya, Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi, Bumula MP Jack Wamboka and Kabuchai MP Majimbo Kalasinga.The Bungoma meeting has also been billed as Sifuna’s homecoming, with organisers expecting leaders, elders and supporters from across the larger Mulembe region to attend.The Western tour is part of an aggressive grassroots mobilisation campaign that has seen the Linda Mwananchi team traverse several regions of the country in recent months while positioning itself as an alternative political force within and outside the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).According to Governor Natembeya, the movement has already held political engagements across most counties in Western Kenya, leaving only Trans Nzoia and Bungoma before completing its regional mobilisation programme.Since its launch, the movement has staged rallies in Kakamega, Vihiga, Busia and other parts of the country, including Mt Kenya, Rift Valley, Nyanza and the Coast, as it seeks to expand its national footprint and popularise its agenda.The campaign in Western Kenya comes at a time when the region has emerged as a key political battleground, with several formations seeking to win over voters traditionally associated with ODM, Ford Kenya and DAP-K.For the Linda Mwananchi team, however, the focus has increasingly shifted to building a strong political base in the Mulembe region, where Sifuna’s allies believe the movement can reshape the area’s political landscape.The latest rallies also come amid growing speculation over Sifuna’s political ambitions after his allies indicated that the Bungoma gathering could mark another significant step in positioning him for a national leadership role ahead of the 2027 elections.The movement has continued to criticise the Kenya Kwanza administration over the cost of living, governance and accountability while faulting ODM’s top leadership for drawing closer to President William Ruto’s government.That position has deepened divisions within ODM, where Sifuna and his allies have insisted the party should remain an independent political force capable of keeping the government in check, even as another faction backs closer cooperation with the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA).