Ol Kalou MP-elect Sammy Douglas Waweru Kamau boards a matatu to Parliament ahead of swearing-in on July 28, 2026 / HANDOUT
Ol Kalou MP-elect Sammy Douglas Waweru Kamau on Tuesday boarded a public service matatu to Parliament for his swearing-in ceremony, sharing the moment on social media.
The Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) legislator posted photos and videos of his journey, expressing gratitude to God and the people of Ol Kalou for electing him.
Kamau was elected the new Member of Parliament for Ol Kalou after defeating his closest rival by a wide margin in one of Kenya's most hotly contested by-elections.
"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24. On our way to Parliament for the swearing-in ceremony. Grateful to God and the people of Ol Kalou for this honour," he wrote on X.
Running on the DCP ticket, Kamau secured a landslide victory, beating his nearest challenger by almost seven times the number of votes to earn a seat in the National Assembly.
Ol Kalou MP-elect Sammy Douglas Waweru Kamau boards a matatu to Parliament ahead of swearing-in on July 28, 2026 / HANDOUT
Ol Kalou MP-elect Sammy Douglas Waweru Kamau boards a matatu to Parliament ahead of swearing-in on July 28, 2026 / HANDOUT
Ol Kalou MP-elect Sammy Douglas Waweru Kamau boards a matatu to Parliament ahead of swearing-in on July 28, 2026 / HANDOUT
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.
The landslide win handed 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.
