By embracing the six parliamentary seats that were up for grabs, the broad-based government has thus ensured a clear and massive victory of its kind in the recent by-elections.
The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) have both been the major beneficiaries of these results that led to the ruling coalition’s firm hold of the power in the most influential regions.
United Democratic Alliance-polling agents in Mbeere North claimed their candidate, Leo Wa Muthende, won the election against the Democratic Party candidate, Newton Kariuki, whose vote counts were 15,802 and 15,308, respectively, in a tight race. Likewise, in Malava, the UDA’s David Ndakwa secured the seat with 21,564 votes after narrowly defeating DAPK’s Seth Panyako, who got 20,210 votes.
Both seats have been the focus of political debates and pundits have been treating them as strength tests of the government and opposition forces respectively.
Moreover, the ODM at the Coast was not left behind in the race for the major wins. Harrison regained Magarini and achieved a landslide victory after the polling result of the previous election was annulled with a vote of 17,909 to 8,907 against DCP candidate Stanley Kenga.
Nyanza’s Kasipul constituency has thus become the additional source of loud OMD triumph, where Boyd Were Ong’ondo- Charles Ong’ondo Were’s late son- succeeded with 16,819 votes, which is twice the number of the independent candidate, Philip Nashon Aroko, who barely managed 8,476.
ODM further strengthened its position in Ugunja, by winning back the seat with a great majority as Moses Omondi received 9,227 votes, overpowering Wiper nominee Orosi Odhiambo, who obtained 1,819 votes.
At the same time, in Banisa—a constituency without a history of an MP in recent years—UDA’s Ahmed Hassan succeeded in taking the seat through 10,431 votes, coasting home against UPA’s Nurdin Maalim who accumulated 1,240 votes.
Among the first to congratulate the UDA and ODM’s massive electoral victory was President William Ruto who described it as a reminder that “the nation is bigger and better when it stands united.”
