Meet Gilbert Shanga: The scholar behind Sifuna’s The Equitable Party & plan to unseat Ruto

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has settled on The Equitable Party as his political vehicle for the 2027 election, bringing him a step closer to challenging President Wiliam Ruto.

Sifuna joined the party and took over its leadership after a long search that was characterised by intrigues and challenges as political players prepared for the race by registering new parties and revamped alliances in readiness for the contest.

With Sifuna on board and with his bid enjoying the backing of all Linda Mwananchi Movement principals, The Equitable Party has positioned itself as a platform for a new political alternative, ready to challenge President William Ruto at the ballot and sink his ambitions for a second term.

As the party marks another interesting chapter in its journey and with the elevated profile following today’s developments questions abound who is behind The Equitable Party, what is its vision for Kenyans and the role it could play in the race for State House.

TEP was registered as a political party in Kenya in 2022, with Dr Gilbert Marava Shanga serving as its party leader, a position which he held until Sifuna’s entry.

Shanga is a seasoned economist, educator and pan African thinker with a PHD from Kansas State University and over 25 years in public service.

He attended Muhudu Primary School in Vihiga county and sat for his primary school examinations in 1985.

He was invited to join Senende High School in 1986 but failed to do so as his parents could not raise the fees.

After pausing his education journey for a year, he resumed learning at the newly-opened Muhudu secondary school where his parents could afford.

As fate would have it, all the students in his class transferred leaving him the lone student in form two.

To continue his education, Shanga moved in with a relative and enrolled at Kaimosi mixed secondary scholl where he sat for his secondary school examination in 1990.

He joined University of Nairobi and pursued a degree in Statistics before a cousin assisted him to relocate to the United States of America for his Masters.

Afterwards, he joined Kansas State University, graduating with a PhD in Statistics and landing a job at Oklahoma State University.

His career has seen him serve in executive roles at leading corporations, including Unilever and GlaxoSmithKline.

He is married to Florence Shanga.

Inspired by the challenges he faced in his educational journey, Shanga teamed up with friends in the U.S and rolled out an initiative to support bright students from needy backgrounds.

This laid the foundation for a party anchored in the value of equity, with Shanga and the team that shared his dream taking the bold step in late 2021.

From a single voice shaped by personal experience and shared dreams anchored in the values of equity, transparency and accountability, the party has grown with offices in several counties and membership standing at more than 3 million based on information available on its website.

Its colours include gold and emerald with a symbol of a weighing scale that underscores its ideological focus of equity and fairness.

In line with its name, one of the party’s key principles is that everyone should have access to the same opportunities in life, regardless of their background or circumstances.

Its slogan is “Tusawazishe”, a Swahili word that translates directly to “let us equalise”.

Sifuna assured his supporters that if TEP face obstacles in rebranding, then the party will retain its current identity at the ballot.