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Embattled ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna has taken the Linda Mwananchi website offline barely a day after its launch.

The shutdown came hours after the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties rejected an attempt to register Linda Mwananchi as a political party.

Mr Sifuna said the platform had attracted thousands of sign-ups almost immediately after going live.

“What a start! Lindamwananchi.com went live yesterday and thousands of you signed up,” he said.

But the surge of traffic was quickly followed by malicious cyber attacks, forcing his team to pull the site down temporarily.

“Expectedly there were thousands of malicious attacks on the website as well as hundreds of positive feedback on how we can improve,” Mr Sifuna said.

“We have taken the site offline to address the issues and incorporate your ideas.”

The website had been launched as a citizen mobilisation platform, linked to the growing Linda Mwananchi movement.

However, the initiative had already drawn attention after an application was filed seeking to register Linda Mwananchi as a political party.

That move was strongly opposed by leaders associated with the movement, including Mr Sifuna and James Orengo.

They argued that the phrase “Linda Mwananchi” represents a civic call to defend citizens’ rights, not a political party.

On Friday, the registrar ruled against the registration attempt, effectively blocking the proposed party.

The decision was welcomed by leaders backing the movement.
For the Nairobi Senator however, the immediate challenge became keeping the website running amid heavy traffic and digital attacks.

Despite the setback, he said the platform would soon return online.

“We ask for your patience kidogo tu,” he told supporters.