NAIROBI,Kenya Jul 21 – Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has publicly rejected an offer by COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli to bankroll his political ambitions, declaring that he would rather build a campaign financed by millions of ordinary Kenyans than owe his political future to a single wealthy individual.
Speaking during an interview on Mulembe FM, Sifuna dismissed Atwoli’s recent pledge to raise Sh1 billion for his campaign, saying the era of politicians depending on powerful financiers must come to an end.
“Atwoli is now saying he is the one with KSh1 billion that he can give me. I don’t need your money,” Sifuna said.
His remarks were in response to comments made by the veteran trade unionist during a church fundraiser in Lurambi Constituency, Kakamega County, where Atwoli said anyone seeking the presidency needed enormous financial resources and influential political networks.
He told Sifuna he could mobilise KSh1 billion “within a minute” and pledged to personally campaign for him should he decide to run for the country’s top seat.
Atwoli also argued that no politician could mount a successful presidential campaign through personal popularity alone.
But Sifuna insisted his political movement would be built differently, urging supporters to continue making small donations through his public Paybill account instead of relying on wealthy benefactors.
“Please let ordinary Kenyans continue contributing through our Paybill, just as they have been doing,” he said.
“We are a different generation of leaders, and we are going to do this politics differently. I would rather be indebted to 10 million Kenyans because they gave me 10 shillings each than to one person who gave me KSh1 billion.”
The senator said campaigns financed by ordinary citizens create greater accountability, arguing that leaders elected through public contributions remain answerable to the people rather than to a handful of influential financiers.
Sifuna also questioned Atwoli’s remarks from the perspective of his role as the country’s longest-serving trade union leader, saying workers should be the first beneficiaries of any resources available to COTU.
“How can the leader of a workers’ union have KSh1 billion to contribute to a political campaign? He should instead give that money to the workers who are crying,” he said.
The exchange has exposed an emerging generational divide over political financing, with Atwoli defending the traditional model that relies on wealthy donors and political networks, while Sifuna champions a grassroots approach centred on thousands of small contributions from supporters.
The latest remarks also come amid growing speculation about Sifuna’s national political ambitions, fuelled by his increasingly outspoken criticism of the Kenya Kwanza administration and his prominence within the opposition.
While Sifuna has not formally declared a presidential bid, his allies have continued to project him as one of the country’s emerging political figures, with supporters insisting his campaigns should be financed by ordinary Kenyans rather than wealthy patrons.
“I would rather be indebted to 10 million Kenyans because they gave me 10 shillings each than to one person who gave me KSh1 billion,” he said.