Kenya: Linda Mwananchi Campaign Raises Over Half a Million in 10 Hours

Nairobi — The Linda Mwananchi movement raised Sh519,144 within hours of launching a public fundraising drive, with thousands of Kenyans responding to an appeal by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna to contribute Sh10 each towards the movement's activities.

Figures released by the organisers on Monday showed that 9,419 people had made donations by the close of the day's exercise, with contributions collected between 7.30am and 6pm.

The campaign recorded an average donation of Sh55. The largest single contribution was Sh5,000, while the smallest amount received was Sh1, underscoring the organisers' call for supporters to contribute whatever they could afford.

The movement said donations are being made through M-Pesa Paybill number 3033049, with contributors required to use their mobile phone numbers as the account reference.

The fundraising drive was launched after Sifuna unveiled the paybill and appealed to Kenyans to support the movement financially, saying small contributions from ordinary citizens would enable it to meet its operational and logistical costs.

Yesterday,the Nairobi senator dismissed claims that Linda Mwananchi is financed by wealthy benefactors, insisting the movement relies on public support.

He explained that because Linda Mwananchi has not yet been registered as a political party, the paybill account is registered under his official name.

"I want to explain to Kenyans about our paybill. We have not registered Linda Mwananchi as a party, so when we were looking for a paybill account, we used my official name. You will see my name on the paybill. The paybill number is 3033049. You will see the name E. Sifuna," he said.

Sifuna said the funds are used to facilitate the movement's activities across the country, including paying service providers and meeting logistical expenses during public rallies.

"We use the money to pay DJ Spider and also pay for other logistics. For example, we used the money to support our brother who passed on in Kisii during our rally. The money came from Linda Mwananchi," he said.

He maintained that the movement was not seeking to enrich its leaders but rather to sustain its grassroots mobilisation efforts.

"We are not looking to enrich ourselves. We do not need too much money. What we need is to cover the logistics of attending some of these meetings," Sifuna said.

The senator also pledged transparency in the management of the funds, saying supporters would be informed about the amount raised and how the money is spent.

"Send me those Sh10, and I shall later announce how much we have raised. Because we have agreed on equality, and the paybill is under my name, when we sit with other leaders, we show them all the money that has come in so far and how we have utilised it," he said.

Read the original article on Capital FM.