Ruto's UDA wins big as party retains seats in strongholds

President William Ruto is in firm control of his political strongholds after his UDA Party registered huge wins in the by-elections held on Thursday.

The ruling party easily retained parliamentary seats in Elgeyo Marakwet, Kandara and Garissa Township, affirming its solid presence in the President’s political bastions.

In Kandara constituency, Murang’a county, UDA’s Chege Njuguna won the parliamentary seat to cement Ruto’s popularity in the Mt Kenya region.

Official results released by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission’s constituency returning officer Linnah Kilonzi showed that Njuguna garnered 21,650 votes to emerge the winner.

Ford Asili’s Titus Njau Mbuchu came a distant second with 14,678 votes.

The mini poll followed the appointment of area MP Alice Wahome to the Cabinet as Water CS by the President. Wahome was one of Ruto’s strong troops in the last poll.

Ruto got more than 86 per cent of the votes from Mt Kenya, with his party scooping all MP and senatorial positions in the August 9, 2022, General Election.

With the win, Ruto and his party have now stamped authority in the politics of the vote-rich region.

Neither Ruto nor Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua set foot in the constituency to campaign for the party candidate.

In Northeastern, where UDA was facing a serious threat from the region's United Democratic Movement Party, Barrow Dekow Mohamed won the Garissa Township MP seat.

Dekow, who received the backing of Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, was declared the winner by constituency returning officer Abdi Yunis Mohamed after he garnered 11,572 votes.

His closest competitor, Nassir Dolal Mohamed of UDM, got 8,158 votes.

Dekow now succeeds Duale who was appointed to the powerful Defence Ministry by the Head of State.

A total of 21,218 votes were cast, representing 39.84 per cent voter turnout

The UDM’s top leadership led by Mandera Senator Ali Roba had camped in the constituency for days but failed to sway the region against UDA.

The outcome also consolidated Duale's place as the Northeastern political kingpin.

The immediate former MP had campaigned in Garissa Township and mounted an elaborate and aggressive campaign across the constituency for the UDA candidate as his successor.

In Elgeyo Marakwet, UDA’s William Kisang won the race to succeed Kipchumba Murkomen as the county’s second senator.

The former Marakwet West MP garnered 41,378 votes.

Lawyer Tim Kipchumba of the Party for Peace and Development came second with 38,151 votes.

On Thursday night, Tim said he had already conceded defeat and congratulated Kisang on his win

“A few minutes to midnight yesterday, I called Senator Kisang and congratulated him. I assured him of my support as the Senator-elect of Elgeyo Marakwet,” he said.

Rights activist Jerotich Seii also conceded early defeat, saying those were not the result she hoped for.

She however said she will continue to fight on the outside for Wanjiku.

“WaKenya, those weren't the results we had hoped for lakini asiyekubali kushindwa si mshindani. The complex world of politics isn't for jokes,” Seii said.

In Lamu, Raila Odinga’s ODM candidate Atwaa Salim won the Shella ward by-election.

The former Lamu Fisheries CEC garnered 1,053 votes.

Mohamed Hassan Ali of the Amani National Congress party got 573 votes with UDA’s Saamiya Mohamed Abduljabar coming third with 45 votes.

Edited by Josephine M. Mayuya