Signs of a steep ‘Mt Kenya’ climb for Ruto emerge after party’s loss in by-election
The Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), led by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, won a parliamentary by-election in Kenya's Mount Kenya region. This victory signals a potential shift in political power away from President William Ruto's UDA party.
Why it matters
The Mount Kenya region is a crucial voting bloc, and this result suggests growing anti-government sentiment that could impact the 2027 general election.
President’s re-election campaign strategists appeared keen to test the waters in the mini-poll
Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) won its first parliamentary seat in a Thursday by-election in Kenya, defeating President William Ruto’s United Democracy Alliance (UDA) and Jubilee Party led by former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Sammy Waweru Ngotho, the DCP candidate in the Ol Kalou Constituency by-election, secured a resounding victory with more than 80 percent of the votes cast.
DCP, a nationalist party led by Rigathi Gachagua who was impeached as Deputy President in October 2024, is seen as the new kid on the block in Kenya’s politics. It has in the past one year risen from relative obscurity to claim political territory in Mount Kenya region, the country’s single largest voting bloc.
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