NAIROBI, Kenya- Former Deputy President and Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has praised newly elected Ol Kalou MP Sammy Douglas Kamau Waweru, describing his landslide victory as an extraordinary triumph against what he claimed was the full weight of the Kenya Kwanza administration.
Addressing supporters following the declaration of results, Gachagua said Waweru had overcome overwhelming political, financial and state-backed odds to secure DCP’s first parliamentary seat.
“You fought a hard fight against a president, a deputy president, seven Cabinet ministers, 16 principal secretaries, 91 Members of Parliament, a train, two boats, 2,000 police officers, mattresses, shoes, goons, Sh14 billion worth of projects and Sh1.1 billion in cash, and you became victorious. Wewe ni mtoto wa Mungu,” Gachagua told the MP-elect.
The remarks came after Waweru won the fiercely contested Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election in Nyandarua County by a commanding margin, defeating United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate Samuel Muchina Nyagah in what had evolved into one of the country’s most politically significant mini-polls.
Official results showed Waweru garnered 35,440 votes against Nyagah’s 5,450.
Gachagua: Victory Was Against the Entire Government
Gachagua portrayed the by-election as more than a contest for a parliamentary seat, saying it had become a direct political showdown between DCP and President William Ruto’s administration.
According to the former deputy president, the government deployed top leaders, massive development promises, financial incentives and a heavy security presence in a bid to wrestle the seat from the opposition.
His reference to a “train” and “two boats” alluded to projects launched in Ol Kalou during the campaign period, while his mention of mattresses, shoes and cash echoed repeated opposition allegations that voters were induced with gifts and handouts.
Those allegations have featured prominently throughout the campaign, although government leaders maintained their visits were aimed at accelerating development in the constituency.
DCP Celebrates Historic First MP
The victory handed DCP its first-ever Member of Parliament since the party’s formation, a milestone Gachagua described as proof that the Mt Kenya region remained firmly behind his political movement.
In his official statement after the results were announced, Gachagua thanked Ol Kalou voters for what he termed rejecting intimidation, inducements and development promises in favour of what he called “the unmistakable voice of the people.”
He urged Waweru to serve all residents diligently and effectively represent the constituency in the National Assembly while thanking campaign leaders, including Nyandarua Senator John Methu and Kipipiri MP Wanjiku Muhia, for steering the three-month campaign.
Election Seen as Early 2027 Test
The Ol Kalou by-election attracted national attention after senior Kenya Kwanza leaders, including Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, Cabinet Secretaries and Members of Parliament, campaigned extensively for the UDA candidate.
Political observers viewed the race as an early barometer of the shifting political landscape in the Mt Kenya region ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Despite the bruising defeat, UDA conceded the outcome, with Deputy President Kindiki congratulating Waweru and urging him to unite the people of Ol Kalou and serve all residents without discrimination.
For Gachagua, however, the result represented far more than a parliamentary victory.
He framed it as a symbolic defeat of what he described as the combined force of the State, insisting that the electorate had demonstrated that political influence could not be bought despite an intense campaign by the ruling coalition.