Celebrations erupted in Nakuru following the IEBC announcement of William Ruto as the President-elect.
The empty streets of Nakuru CBD, which had witnessed slow activities during the day, roared with life as songs and dance rent the air for the better part of Monday evening.
The celebrations continued late into the night with jubilant Kenyans from different parts of the city estates congregating in the Nakuru CBD.
In the city estates of Barnabas, Free Area and Shabab, the mood was the same with some carrying twigs, others riding on top of cars and motorcycles, while others were hooting.
The same was replicated in Njoro, Molo, Bahati and other far flung constituencies that make up the populous Nakuru county.
Residents said they take the victory personally because they have invested heavily in terms of prayers and thoughts to Ruto.
James Kamau, a resident of Shabab, said he woke up at 4am on August 9 so as to be among the first people to vote at his polling station.
To him, voting for Ruto was a vote for freedom and liberation from the high cost of living he has witnessed in the country.
"We had lost hope in the government. We cannot even feed our families because the cost of living is unbearable. I went to vote for Ruto because I want things to change. We cannot live like this," Kamau said.
He added that those who have been voted should ensure the prices of basic commodities go down as a priority.
David Kangogo said that the change of guard will ensure Kenya moves to the next level. To him the gospel of the bottom-up economic model by the Kenya Kwanza camp is what endeared him to vote for Ruto.
"I know he will fulfil what he has promised us, we want financial freedom. We have suffered with the lack of unga, gas is expensive and other basic commodities, we need this to be worked on," Kangogo said.
"Ruto should get to work immediately and start to give us solutions to the problems we have been facing. We don't want stories anymore, we want action."
Kangogo also asked Kenyans to remain peaceful and those who feel aggrieved to seek redress in the court of law.
Nakuru county, which has more than a million voters, gave overwhelming support to the UDA presidential candidate, who garnered a total of 50.59 per cent of total votes cast.
(edited by Amol Awuor)
