NAIROBI, Kenya — Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) candidate Sammy Kamau Ngotho has been declared the winner of the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election after securing a commanding victory in a contest widely viewed as a key political test ahead of the 2027 General Election.
According to official results announced by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on Friday morning, Kamau garnered 35,440 votes, comfortably defeating United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate Samuel Muchina Nyaga, who received 5,450 votes.
Jubilee Party candidate Wilson Kigwa finished a distant third with 198 votes, followed by Stephen Wanyoike Waithaka (NLP) with 103, Timothy Kamau Kariuki (PM) with 51, Edwin Kariiri Muchiri (PNU) with 28, Abdifatah Hussein Abdullahi (FPK) with 19, Edward Mathenge Mwaniki (KMM) with 16, and Rachael Wangui Njoroge (PDP) with 11 votes.
The IEBC said the by-election recorded a voter turnout of 57 per cent, with 41,656 ballots cast out of 73,480 registered voters.
The closely watched by-election was marred by incidents of violence after armed men travelling in unmarked vehicles allegedly attacked residents, journalists and political supporters. Police also fired tear gas to disperse crowds at several polling stations, leaving a number of people injured as tensions escalated during voting.
The contest had attracted national attention after senior political leaders from both the Kenya Kwanza administration and the opposition pitched camp in the constituency, turning the race into a symbolic battle between President William Ruto’s UDA and the DCP led by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
The by-election was triggered by the death of former Ol Kalou MP David Kiaraho, making it the first parliamentary electoral contest in the constituency since the 2022 General Election.
The campaigns were characterised by intense mobilisation, with both sides trading accusations of voter inducement. Opposition leaders alleged that cash handouts, household items and other incentives were distributed to influence voters, while the ruling party dismissed claims that it was engaging in electoral malpractice. Some residents also claimed to have received cash transfers through mobile money platforms during the campaign period, allegations that featured prominently in the political exchanges but were not independently verified.
Despite the massive deployment of senior government officials and an intensive campaign mounted by UDA, the outcome delivered one of the party’s heaviest electoral defeats in recent by-elections, with Kamau securing more than six times the votes garnered by his closest rival.
Political analysts are expected to closely examine the result as an indicator of shifting voter sentiment and the growing influence of the opposition in Central Kenya, a region traditionally regarded as a critical battleground in national politics.
Attention is now expected to shift to what the outcome means for Kenya’s political landscape and how it could influence coalition-building, campaign messaging and electoral strategies ahead of the 2027 General Election.
