Battle lines drawn as Ol Kalou poll nominees present papers to IEBC

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The Ol Kalou by-election slated for June 16, 2026, appears to have set the stage for yet another bruising battle between UDA and DCP.

‎‎The race to replace the late MP David Kiaraho, who died after serving the constituency for three terms, is shaping up as a battle of supremacy battle between President William Ruto and his former deputy Rigathi Gachagua.

‎‎UDA has settled on Muchina Nyaga as its flag bearer while DCP is fronting former Ol Kalou town MCA Kamau Ngotho.

‎‎Former President Uhuru Kenyatta's Jubilee Party picked Eng Wilson Kigwa to contest in the by-election.

‎‎The candidates have adopted different campaign tactics to win over voters.

‎‎On Monday, they will begin presenting their party nomination papers to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) in O Kalou town.

‎‎Muchina will be the first to present his nomination papers.

‎‎The UDA candidate who served as the late Kiharao's personal assistant, has pledged to complete the work of his former boss.

‎‎He is banking on the support of the ruling party, which has deployed a strong campaign team led by Nyandarua Woman Representative Faith Gitau, Dennis Itumbi, Head of Presidential Special Projects and Creative Economy Coordination, and other senior government officials who have camped in the constituency.

‎‎The team is selling the government development agenda in a bid to win support.

‎‎Muchina enjoys the support of his brother, Mwangi Nyaga, who is the current Leader of the Majority in the Nyandarua County Assembly.

‎‎He sailed through the UDA party nominations after garnering 3,221 votes against his closest rival, businessman George Wambugu, popularly known as Delight.

‎The latter has contested the seat three times, losing to the late Kiaraho.

‎‎‎On the other hand, DCP is banking on its growing popularity in the region that has openly rebelled against President Ruto following the impeachment of Gachagua as Deputy President.

‎‎The party's candidate, Ngotho, in the last General Election vied on a UDA ticket but lost to the late Kiaraho.

‎‎He won the DCP party nominations after garnering 12,957 votes.

‎‎His closest rival was musician Paul Waiganjo, who got 4,997 votes.

‎‎Coming third was former Nyandarua County roads chief officer Peter Karanja, who got 3,919 votes.

‎‎According to political analysts, this will be a gruelling battle for both the government side and the opposition.

‎‎"It will be a litmus test for both the government and the opposition," said Samuel Wambugu.

‎‎He said that voter turnout in party primaries has complicated the matter.

‎‎"The UDA party had a low turnout of voters, while the DCP party had a huge turnout. However, politics change with time," he argued.

‎‎Nyandarua Woman Representative, who is leading the UDA party campaigns, has, however, exuded confidence that the ruling party will capture the seat.

‎‎"We will support our candidate with all our efforts. Cheap campaign strategies should not cow residents. We have already mobilised our teams who are on the ground," she said.
‎‎She maintained that she would be on the ground to make sure Muchina wins.

‎‎"I know what is happening on the ground, and that is why I will be here. We will mobilise everything to take this seat," she said.

‎‎Kanjuiri Ridge MCA Thuo Gachino, who is among the team leading the DCP campaigns, was confident that the party nominee will emerge the winner.

‎‎"Everyone can see the turnout during the nominations. You cannot compare over 22,000 votes to 4000 votes. Even if they cooked their numbers, it was evident everywhere that DCP is the party of choice," he argued.

‎‎He said that they would mobilise residents to turn up in large numbers during the nominations to prove that this was their preferred party.

‎"We want someone who will continue with the development records of the late Kiaraho. The only person the electorate has chosen is Ngotho," he noted.