NAIROBI, Kenya- Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo has blamed arrogance among leaders in the broad-based government for the ruling coalition’s humiliating defeat in the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, warning that politicians who take voters for granted will continue paying a heavy political price.
Speaking a day after the declaration of results, the outspoken ODM legislator said the by-election should serve as a wake-up call to leaders serving in the Kenya Kwanza-ODM broad-based arrangement, insisting that voters cannot be ignored or underestimated.
“UDA lost in Ol Kalou because leaders are arrogant and take voters for granted,” Millie said.
The MP maintained that she would not remain silent when she believes the government is going in the wrong direction, despite ODM’s cooperation with President William Ruto’s administration through the broad-based political arrangement.
According to her, political leaders must remain accountable to wananchi and avoid assuming that government projects, campaign resources or political influence automatically translate into electoral support.
Warning to Coalition Leaders
The vocal MP said the Ol Kalou outcome demonstrated that voters are becoming increasingly willing to punish leaders they perceive as detached from ordinary citizens.
She argued that arrogance within sections of the broad-based government had alienated voters, urging those in leadership to reconnect with the grassroots before future elections.
The legislator said political leaders must listen more and engage citizens genuinely instead of assuming electoral support is guaranteed.
Her remarks come as debate continues over what caused the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) to suffer one of its worst electoral defeats in recent years.
Crushing Defeat
The Ol Kalou by-election ended in a landslide victory for the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), led by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
According to official results announced by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), DCP candidate Sammy Kamau Ngotho garnered 35,440 votes, while UDA’s Samuel Muchina Nyaga managed 5,450 votes, handing the ruling party a resounding defeat in what had been one of Kenya’s most closely watched by-elections.
The outcome came despite an intensive campaign by UDA, which saw President William Ruto, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries and senior party officials spend weeks campaigning across the constituency.
Growing Internal Criticism
Millie’s remarks add to a growing list of leaders questioning the government’s political strategy following the Ol Kalou loss.
President Ruto ally Ahmednasir Abdullahi has also argued that arrogance, election-day violence, and unrealistic development promises contributed to UDA’s poor showing, while other analysts have pointed to growing political discontent in the Mt Kenya region.
Although ODM is part of the broad-based government through its cooperation agreement with Kenya Kwanza, she has repeatedly maintained that the arrangement should not prevent leaders from speaking out when they believe the government is making mistakes.