United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate Chege Njuguna has been declared the winner of the Kandara MP by-election held on Thursday, January 5, 2023.
Njuguna won with 21,650 votes while Titus Mbuchu of Ford Asili was second with 14,678 votes.
Njuguna vied for the same seat in the August poll on a Chama Cha Kazi ticket, where he came in second after the immediate former MP Alice Wahome.
At the time, he managed 19, 260 votes against Wahome’s 39,009 votes. The seat fell vacant after Wahome was appointed Cabinet Secretary for Water.
Kibiru PMG Junior, who was supported by former Governor Mwangi wa Iria on the Usawa Kwa Wote (USK) party ticket, received 1,469 votes in the election.
The other five candidates in the race received fewer than 1,000 votes, with independent candidate David Kamweti Njuguna receiving 207 votes and Samuel Kioi of The New Democrats (ND) party receiving 201 votes.
The remaining three independent candidates - Joseph Mbugua Mburu, Pius Muiruri Muturi, and Erastus Gatehi Nyoike - received 107, 100, and 36 votes, respectively.
Voter turnout was low, with only 38,625 of the 105,148 registered voters (36.73%) casting their ballots.
Despite allegations of voter bribery, intimidation, and violence from the candidates, the voting process was generally peaceful at all 197 polling stations.
Elswhere in Elgeyo Marakwet, William Kisang, a former Marakwet West MP, has won the senatorial race with 41,378 votes.
He ran on a UDA party ticket and is set to replace Kipchumba Murkomen, a former senator who has been appointed to a Cabinet role.
Tim Kipchumba of PPD received the second highest number of votes with 38,151.