Voting is underway in the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, with polling stations across Nyandarua County’s Ol Kalou Constituency opening on time on Thursday morning as voters turn out to elect their next Member of Parliament.
The exercise began smoothly at several polling stations, including Rurii Primary School, where election officials reported no incidents. Early morning queues were also witnessed at Huruma Primary School and other polling centres across the constituency.
United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate Samuel Muchina Nyaga is expected to cast his vote at Huruma Primary School in Kaimbaga Ward at 7 a.m., while Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) candidate Sammy Douglas Kamau Waweru is scheduled to vote at AC Primary School in Ol Kalou at around 9 a.m.
Jubilee Party candidate Wilson Kigwa is expected to vote at Kandutura Primary School at 10 a.m., while People’s Renaissance Movement candidate Timothy Kariuki will cast his ballot at Kieni Secondary School at the same time.
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The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has established 144 polling stations across the constituency, with approximately 73,480 registered voters expected to participate in the exercise.
The by-election was necessitated by the death of longtime Ol Kalou MP David Njuguna Kiaraho, who died on March 29 after serving the constituency for more than a decade. Kiaraho was first elected in 2013 and successfully retained the seat in the 2017 and 2022 General Elections.
Although nine candidates were cleared by the IEBC to contest the seat, the race has largely narrowed to a three-way contest between UDA’s Samuel Muchina Nyaga, DCP’s Sammy Douglas Kamau Waweru and Jubilee Party’s Wilson Kigwa.
Beyond determining the constituency’s next legislator, the by-election is being closely watched as an early political test of influence in the Mt Kenya region, with analysts viewing it as a contest between President William Ruto and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The campaign period, which ended on Monday, was characterised by intense voter mobilisation, as well as allegations of voter bribery and misuse of state resources by rival camps.
