DCP's Sammy Kamau Waweru wins Ol Kalou seat in landslide victory

Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) candidate Sammy Douglas Waweru Kamau has been elected the new Member of Parliament for Ol Kalou after trouncing his closest rival by almost seven times the number of votes in one of the country's most fiercely contested by-elections.

Official results released by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) showed Waweru garnering more than 35,440 votes against about 5,450 for UDA candidate Samuel Muchina Nyagah, delivering a resounding victory for the opposition outfit.

Nine candidates participated in the by-election. The other seven candidates garnered the following votes: Abdifatah Hussein Abdallah (FPK) 19 votes, Timothy Kariuki (PPM) 51 votes, Wilson Mwaniki (Jubilee) 198 votes, Edwin Kareri (PNU) 28 votes, Edward Mathenge (KKM) 16 votes, Rachel Wangui (PDP) 11 votes, Stephen Waithaka (NLP) 103 votes

The landslide win hands DCP its first parliamentary seat since the party's formation and deals President William Ruto's UDA a major political setback in a contest widely viewed as a barometer of the political mood in the Mt Kenya region ahead of the 2027 General Election.

The Ol Kalou race was fiercely contested from the outset, attracting top political leaders from both the ruling Kenya Kwanza coalition and the opposition, who turned the constituency into a battleground for political supremacy.

UDA mounted an aggressive campaign anchored on government development projects, with a section of Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, governors and MPs traversing the constituency, urging residents to back Muchina.

The campaigns also saw the distribution of various items, including mattresses, water tanks, gas cylinders and boats, with government leaders maintaining that they were part of ongoing development initiatives.

Opposition leaders, however, dismissed the move as an attempt to influence voters.

On the other hand, DCP built its campaign around the high cost of living, economic hardship and calls for political change, with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua leading a series of rallies alongside Nyandarua Senator John Methu, Woman Representative Wanjiku Muhia and other opposition leaders.

The campaign period was marked by heightened political tensions, with allegations of voter bribery, violence, intimidation and the destruction of campaign materials dominating the race.

The IEBC Electoral Code of Conduct Enforcement Committee summoned several politicians over alleged breaches of campaign rules, fining some and directing them to recommit themselves to peaceful campaigns.

The exercise was also marred by attacks on journalists by suspected goons while they were covering campaign activities, drawing condemnation from media stakeholders and human rights groups.

On polling day, security was significantly heightened, with more than 1,000 police officers drawn from the General Service Unit (GSU), Anti-Stock Theft Unit (ASTU), Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the regular police deployed across the constituency.

After voting ended, ballot boxes were escorted under heavy police security to the constituency tallying centre at Ol Kalou Senior School, where supporters of both camps waited anxiously for the final outcome.

As Waweru's lead widened, jubilant DCP supporters broke into song and prayer outside the tallying centre, singing "Ametenda maajabu na siwezi kueleza" as they celebrated what they termed a historic victory.

The outcome is expected to bolster Gachagua's influence in the Mt Kenya region and provide DCP with fresh momentum as the country edges closer to the 2027 General Election.

For UDA, the defeat ends its recent dominance in competitive by-elections and is likely to trigger fresh political debate over the shifting dynamics within the Mt Kenya voting bloc.