Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) candidate Sammy Douglas Waweru Kamau has clinched the Ol Kalou parliamentary seat in a resounding landslide victory.

In one of the country’s most fiercely contested by-elections, Waweru trounced his closest rival by almost seven times the total votes cast.

Official final tallies released by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) showed Waweru garnering a dominant 35,440 votes.

He comfortably defeated the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate, Samuel Muchina Nyagah, who managed only 5,450 votes, dealing a stunning blow to the ruling Kenya Kwanza coalition in its traditional stronghold.

The highly competitive race drew a total of nine candidates.

Trailing far behind the two frontrunners, the other seven aspirants collectively secured fragmented numbers: Wilson Mwaniki of the Jubilee Party took third with 198 votes, followed by Stephen Waithaka of the National Liberal Party (NLP) with 103 votes.

Others were, Timothy Kariuki of the Progressive People’s Movement (PPM) captured 51 votes, Edwin Kareri of the Party of National Unity (PNU) secured 28 votes, and Abdifatah Hussein Abdallah of the Federal Party of Kenya (FPK) took 19 votes.

Rounding out the bottom of the ballot were Edward Mathenge of the Kazi Kwa Vijana Mashinani (KKM) party with 16 votes and Rachel Wangui of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with 11 votes.

This historic triumph marks DCP’s first-ever parliamentary seat since the party’s formation in May 2025, altering the legislative landscape and dealing a major blow to President William Ruto’s UDA.

The Ol Kalou contest had quickly escalated into a proxy war between Kenya’s top political factions.

The ruling coalition deployed an aggressive, state-backed campaign spearheaded by Cabinet Secretaries, Governors, and MPs who traversed the constituency promising major infrastructure projects.

Government-linked distributions of mattresses, water tanks, gas cylinders, and boats were dismissed by the opposition as voter bribery.

In contrast, DCP mounted an emotive, grassroots campaign centered around economic hardships and the rising cost of living, with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, the DCP party leader, leading rallies alongside Nyandarua Senator John Methu and Woman Representative Wanjiku Muhia to secure the decisive victory.