UDA candidate David Keter, popularly known as Dollarline, has clinched the fiercely contested Emurua Dikirr parliamentary by-election, handing President William Ruto’s camp a significant political victory in the Rift Valley battleground.
Keter secured 18,266 votes to decisively defeat Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) candidate Vincent Kibet Rotich, who garnered 10,760 votes in a mini-poll that evolved into a high-stakes supremacy contest between rival political factions.
National Vision Party (NVP) candidate Gideon Koech finished a distant third with 190 votes, while Desma Cherono of PNU and Kipronoh Rotich of the Revolutionary Labour Party (RLP) managed 80 and 62 votes respectively.
Returning Officer Caleb Gikonde officially declared the results at the Emurua Dikirr Technical Training Institute tallying centre on Thursday night after votes from all 94 polling stations were tallied.
In his victory speech, Keter struck a conciliatory tone, thanking constituents for rallying behind his candidature.
“I want to thank the people of Emurua Dikirr for electing me. I will serve all residents equally regardless of how they voted,” said Keter.
The incoming legislator pledged to close ranks across the political divide and focus on development-oriented leadership in the constituency.
Keter also praised the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), security agencies and election officials for conducting what he termed a peaceful and credible exercise.
The by-election had morphed into a symbolic political duel between President Ruto’s UDA and the DCP camp associated with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, with both sides treating the contest as a measure of influence ahead of the 2027 political realignments.
Political observers viewed the race as a strategic attempt by Ruto to consolidate his grip on the Rift Valley while Gachagua sought to penetrate the region by tapping into growing dissatisfaction over perceived unmet promises by the Kenya Kwanza administration.
The seat fell vacant following the death of area MP Johana Ng’eno, who perished alongside five others in a helicopter crash in Chepkiep village, Mosop, Nandi County, on February 28, 2026.
Ng’eno, a three-term MP elected under the UDA ticket, had represented Emurua Dikirr since 2013 and remained an influential political figure in Narok County until his death.
His passing triggered an intense succession battle that quickly attracted national attention, with major political formations deploying heavy mobilisation machinery in a constituency widely viewed as politically strategic.
The by-election was largely framed as a referendum on shifting loyalties in the Rift Valley and a key indicator of the emerging political landscape ahead of the next General Election.
 candidate Vincent Kibet Rotich, who garnered 10,760 votes.){kind=link}