Why landslide victory in Ol Kalou has crowned Gachagua Mt Kenya kingpin
Rigathi Gachagua's DCP party won a parliamentary by-election in Ol Kalou, signaling a shift in Mt Kenya's political landscape. Gachagua declared the result marks the decline of the ruling UDA party's influence in the region.
Why it matters
This victory challenges the dominance of the ruling Kenya Kwanza coalition and establishes a new power base for Gachagua ahead of the 2027 general election.
DCP boss Rigathi Gachagua and Ol Kalou MP-elect Douglas Waweru during a thanksgiving rally in Ol Kalou/ HANDOUT
DCP’s landslide victory in Thursday’s parliamentary by-election in Ol Kalou has all but crowned former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua as Mt Kenya’s new political kingpin.
DCP candidate Douglas Waweru garnered 35,440 votes, crushing UDA's Samuel Muchina, who managed 5,450 votes, according to official results released by the IEBC.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee party, which has been fighting to control the region alongside Gachagua’s DCP, came a distant third with its candidate getting 198 votes.
The victory hands DCP its first parliamentary seat since its formation and strengthens Gachagua's claim that he remains the dominant political force in the vote-rich region ahead of the 2027 general election.
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