OL KALOU, Nyandarua- Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) candidate Sammy Kamau Ngotho has cast his vote at A.C. Primary School Polling Station in the closely watched Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, expressing confidence as thousands of residents continued to stream into polling stations across the constituency.
Ngotho voted on Thursday morning as polling progressed peacefully across the constituency, where long queues formed from as early as 6 a.m. after voters turned out in large numbers to elect a new Member of Parliament.
More than 73,000 registered voters are expected to cast their ballots at 144 polling stations spread across Ol Kalou’s five wards.
Speaking after casting his vote, the DCP candidate thanked residents for the impressive turnout and urged them to remain peaceful as the electoral process continued.
Ngotho is seeking to wrest the seat from the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) after emerging as DCP’s flag bearer in the party primaries.
The former Member of County Assembly won the DCP nomination with 12,957 votes, earning the backing of party leader Rigathi Gachagua and other opposition leaders.
The by-election has been billed as a two-horse race between Ngotho and UDA candidate Samuel Muchina Nyagah, despite a total of nine candidates being on the ballot. Political observers view the contest as a key test of political influence in the Mount Kenya region ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The parliamentary seat fell vacant following the death of former MP David Njuguna Kiaraho in March, prompting the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to conduct the mini-poll.
Voting is scheduled to continue until 5 p.m., after which ballots will be counted at polling stations before results are transmitted to the constituency tallying centre.