The Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) candidate Sammy Kamau Ngotho, was Friday declared the winner of the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election after garnering 35,440 votes.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) said Kamau defeated United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate Samuel Muchina Nyagah, who garnered 5,450 votes.
Jubilee Party’s Wilson Kigwa finished third.
Nyagah conceded defeat and congratulated Ngotho in a post on Facebook.
“Congratulations Sammy Kamau Waweru. Go serve the people of Ol Kalou constituency,” he said in a post
The by-election held on Thursday was marred by violence after armed men travelling in unmarked vehicles allegedly attacked residents, journalists, and political supporters.
Teargas was lobbed to disperse crowds at various polling stations leaving several people injured as tensions flared during the voting process.
The outcome concludes months of intense campaigning in a race that had attracted national attention and was widely viewed as a political showdown between President William Ruto’s UDA and the Democracy for the Citizens Party led by Rigathi Gachagua.
The by-election was triggered by the death of former Ol Kalou MP David Kiaraho, creating the first parliamentary electoral test in the constituency since the 2022 General Election.
Politicians from across the divide campaigned aggressively in the area, with allegations of cash handouts reigning in the region from both political divides.
Attention is now expected to shift to how the outcome could shape campaign strategies ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Gachagua has been boasting that Ruto has lost ground in the region amid ongoing political campaigns.
He has consistently told the president he should prepare to hand over power to the next leadership and cited several issues as the reasons.
UDA was the most popular party in the region in the last elections in 2022 but has lost ground in the past years.
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