There have been celebrations in the remote village of Chemomul, Bomet county, after Linet Chepkorir, alias Toto, was confirmed to have won the election for the county’s Woman Representative in Parliament.

There was pomp, colour, dancing and tears as the village welcomed her home after her victory.

Alongside the 290 constituency MPs in the National Assembly, each of Kenya’s 47 counties sends a women’s representative – and at 24, Chepkorir (pictured) will be the youngest of these.

In Tuesday’s election, she garnered 242,775 votes to beat eight candidates, some of them experienced politicians. This will be her first ever job. She comes from a humble background, the third child of Richard and Bety Langat.

Chepkorir said it had been difficult against competitors with deep pockets and estimated she spent only Sh100,000 ($840, £690) during her campaign. She was also helped by well-wishers and friends.

The greatest challenge she faced when she started campaigning was convincing her community and the voters at large. They questioned whether she could do the job as she was not married, had no work experience and lacked the money to hand out.

Her message to all girls is “never give up on hope”.