Anthony Kibagendi: There is no way UDA can win in Ol Kalou
By Ndiritu Wanjiru, July 13, 2026Kitui Chache South Member of Parliament Anthony Kibagendi has said that the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has no chance of winning the upcoming Ol Kalou by-election, citing multiple opinion polls that he says consistently place the opposition candidate far ahead.
Speaking on the state of the race in an interview with a local TV station on Monday, July 13, 2026, Kibagendi has noted that more than 11 polling firms have conducted surveys in Ol Kalou, all pointing to a decisive lead for the DCP candidate despite what he described as widespread voter bribery by UDA.
“There is no way the UDA candidate can win in Ol Kalou. Over 11 polling companies have done their polls. The last one was conducted on Friday by a friend of mine. They sampled 200 people in each of the five wards, and the DCP candidate was at 64 per cent despite UDA bribing voters openly,” Kibagendi said.
Kibagendi on postponement remarks
Kibagendi also took issue with remarks by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairperson suggesting that the by-election could be postponed if circumstances provided for under the law arise.
The lawmaker has described the comments as a sign of weak leadership, arguing that the electoral commission should instead focus on protecting the integrity of the election by addressing alleged electoral offences.
“I listened to the IEBC chairman, and that is weak from the chairman. The chairman should step up and say the state must stop bribing voters instead of talking about postponing the election,” Kibagendi said.
On Thursday, July 9, 2026, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) warned that it could postpone or even cancel the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election if violence, voter bribery and other electoral malpractices continue ahead of Thursday’s poll.
The IEBC chairperson, Erastus Ethekon, said the commission would not hesitate to take the drastic step if the environment were deemed unsafe for a credible election.
“If we find that the environment is not conducive enough for us to conclude the by-election in Ol Kalou, we will be left with no choice other than to take the most unfortunate and drastic step of postponing the elections in Ol Kalou. And if that’s not enough, we will cancel it altogether,” Ethekon said.