The rise of Moses Omondi, from a quiet Constituency Manager to an elected Member of Parliament, has been likened by some to a stroke of extraordinary luck, a sudden, unexpected ascent to power.

He is, perhaps, the ultimate errand boy who, by sheer chance, found himself scaling the heights to become king.

Omondi, who secured the nomination for the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) after beating nine other hopefuls, won the by-election for the Ugunja seat, which had become vacant when Opiyo Wandayi was appointed Cabinet Secretary for Energy.

He swept the polls with a decisive 9,447 votes in an election notably marred by low voter turnout.

The former constituency manager easily trounced all his rivals.

Wiper candidate Eng Orodi Odhiambo came in a distant second with 1,819 votes, followed by Fredrick Ochiel (1,200 votes) and Benson Otieno (1,171 votes).

Returning Officer Denis Omare declared the results at the Ambira High School tallying center.

“Having garnered the highest number of votes, which were tallied in the presence of all the super agents, I hereby declare Moses Okoth Omondi the Member of Parliament elect of Ugunja constituency,” Omare stated, handing over the certificate amid loud ululations and celebrations from a section of MCAs and executive officials.

While his jubilated supporters expressed confidence in his promises, the by-election, concluded on November 27, brought to light a deep-seated voter apathy, particularly among the young generation.

Election observers noted that the majority of voters who participated were middle-aged and older, a factor that sets a critical precedent the IEBC may need to address before the August 2027 general election.

Fredrick Ojiro, an observer and human rights activist in Ugunja, blamed the low turnout on what he termed “forced candidacy” in the region.

“When you see people giving up, especially the young people keeping off the polling stations when they are supposed to take part in decision making, it shows an underlying problem,” Ojiro argued.

He added that in areas like Ugunja, which are predominantly ODM, when leaders appear to be imposed on the electorate, people simply give up and allow the system to run its course, a trend he warned is unhealthy for democracy as it breeds a culture of apathy.