Vote counting continues in Emurua Dikir, UDA’s Keter in early lead

Vote tallying for the Emurua Dikirr parliamentary by-election is underway.

Provisional results show that United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party candidate David Keter has taken an early lead in the closely watched by-election as vote tallying continued on Thursday evening.

The seat fell vacant following the death of former area MP Johana Ngeno in a race that has attracted significant national political attention.

By 7 pm, provisional results compiled by our sources from at least 50 of the constituency’s 94 polling stations that had already been counted showed Keter leading with more than 9,300 votes.

His closest challenger, Vincent Kibet Rotich of the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), had garnered 5,400 votes.

Other candidates trailed by a huge margin, with Gideon Koech of NVP managing 66 votes, Kiprono Rotich of RLP securing 42 votes and Desma Cherono of PNU polling 33 votes.

The results were, however, yet to be officially confirmed by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

Although the commission’s online forms portal remained active by Thursday evening, no official polling station forms had been uploaded by press time.

All eyes are now on constituency Returning Officer Caleb Gikonde, who is expected to officially declare the winner after the completion of counting and verification at the Emurua Dikirr TTI tallying centre.

The by-election was conducted across 94 polling stations under heavy security deployment, with voters turning out in large numbers from early morning to elect a new Member of Parliament.

Long queues were witnessed at several polling stations as residents waited patiently to cast their ballots in what political analysts described as a major political contest between the ruling party and the opposition.

The race had largely shaped up as a direct battle between UDA and DCP, with both camps treating the outcome as an important political test ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Speaking after casting his vote earlier in the day, Keter expressed confidence of victory and said his campaign had focused on development issues.

“We have run a peaceful campaign focused on development and the people of Emurua Dikirr have spoken through the ballot,” Keter said.

His rival Rotich also remained optimistic, insisting DCP had mounted a formidable challenge in the constituency.

“This has been a people-driven campaign and we are satisfied with the support we have received on the ground,” Rotich said before tallying began.

Despite the largely peaceful voting exercise, isolated incidents of tension were reported at Chelemei and Kiribwet polling stations where a few people sustained injuries following brief confrontations among supporters.

Security officers quickly intervened and restored calm, allowing the voting and counting process to continue uninterrupted.

Meanwhile, DCP chief agent Leonard Kirui alleged that security agencies repulsed groups of youths who were attempting to prevent some supporters from voting in parts of the constituency.

As ballot boxes continued arriving at the tallying centre under tight security, supporters of various candidates gathered anxiously awaiting the final declaration.