Supporters of the Rigathi Gachagua's DCP broke into songs of praise and worship on Thursday night as provisional results showed their candidate, Sammy Douglas Kamau Waweru, heading for victory in the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election.
Led by Nyandarua Senator John Methu, hundreds of party supporters sang, danced and prayed before heading to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) constituency tallying centre at Ol Kalou Senior School, where the final results were expected to be announced.
The jubilant supporters were heard singing the popular gospel hymn, "Ametenda maajabu na siwezi kueleza" (He has done wonders and I cannot explain), as they thanked God for what they believed would be a historic victory for the party.
Others chanted victory slogans as they marched towards the tallying centre, where security had been heightened following the close of voting.
The celebrations came as provisional results from a majority of polling stations showed DCP candidate Sammy Douglas Kamau Waweru holding a commanding lead over his closest challenger, UDA's Samuel Muchina Nyagah.
By Thursday night, provisional tallies (yet to be confirmed by IEBC) indicated Kamau had garnered more than 32,000 votes against Muchina's about 5,000, with most polling stations already accounted for.
The growing lead sparked spontaneous celebrations among DCP supporters, many of whom described the outcome as a major political statement ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Senator Methu, one of the party's key campaigners during the by-election, joined supporters in singing and praying as they expressed optimism that the constituency was on the verge of electing a DCP Member of Parliament.
The Ol Kalou contest had attracted national attention after evolving into a political showdown between President William Ruto's UDA and the opposition-backed DCP.
Both sides deployed senior political leaders to campaign for their candidates during weeks of intense campaigns that were at times marked by accusations of violence, voter bribery and intimidation.
The National Police Service deployed more than 1,000 officers, including personnel from the General Service Unit (GSU), Anti-Stock Theft Unit (ASTU) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), to secure the by-election.
Security remained tight around the tallying centre as election officials received and verified results from polling stations across the constituency.
By the time of publication, the IEBC had not officially declared the winner, but DCP supporters remained confident that Kamau would be announced the constituency's next Member of Parliament.
If confirmed, the victory would hand DCP its first major parliamentary by-election win and end UDA's recent dominance in competitive by-elections since the 2022 General Election.
