The Edwin Sifuna-backed Linda Mwananchi website experienced technical disruptions shortly after its launch, forcing the team to temporarily take the platform offline following heavy traffic and alleged cyberattacks.
The website, Linda Mwananchi, went live on Friday, inviting Kenyans to sign up and support the initiative. However, many users reported difficulties accessing the site or completing registration, saying the platform repeatedly failed or would not load.
“We have really brilliant minds out here mhesh… kindly work with them cos the government right now knows u are the only big threat to them… they will do anything to sabotage your cause,” a supporter commented.
Speaking on Saturday, Sifuna acknowledged the challenges but described the response from supporters as encouraging. He said thousands of people had already attempted to sign up within hours of the launch, demonstrating strong public interest in the initiative.
“What a start! Lindamwananchi.com went live yesterday and thousands of you signed up. That’s the energy we need,” Sifuna said in a statement thanking supporters for their enthusiasm.
He added that the platform had also experienced what he termed “thousands of malicious attacks,” which contributed to the technical issues. According to Sifuna, the development team opted to temporarily take the website offline to stabilize the system and incorporate feedback from users.
The Orange Democratic Movement Secretary-General asked supporters to remain patient as improvements are implemented.
“We have taken the site offline to address the issues and incorporate your ideas. We ask for your patience kidogo tu,” he said.
The launch of the platform had been promoted in recent days, with #Sifuna earlier claiming that government actors were repeatedly attempting to take the website down.
It remains unclear when the site will be fully restored, but the team says work is ongoing to strengthen security, improve performance and ensure smoother registration for the growing number of interested supporters.