Gachagua: Ol Kalou by-elections is between DCP and UDA
By Ndiritu Wanjiru, June 4, 2026Former Deputy President and Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has revealed that the context for the Ol Kalou parliamentary elections scheduled for July 16 will be between his party and the ruling party, United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
Speaking in an interview with a local TV station on Thursday, June 3, 2026, Gachagua has noted that the leaders affiliated with the United Alternative Government have agreed on the need to field a single opposition candidate in the upcoming Ol-Kalou by-election.
He has noted that despite the consultations to ensure the opposition presents a united front in the mini-polls, which he described as a crucial political contest, the race is undoubtedly between the two parties, DCP and the UDA party. He has said that there is no harm in other parties on the united opposition side having candidates in the polls.
“We had a meeting with other United Alternative Government leaders, and we discussed the importance of having a single candidate in the Ol-Kalou by-elections,” Gachagua said.
He noted that while the broader opposition coalition accommodates multiple political parties and leaders, unity in electoral contests remains critical to maximising the chances of defeating candidates backed by the ruling administration.
“It is important to have a single candidate in the upcoming mini-polls, but there is no harm in having many candidates in the United Opposition,” he added.
According to the former deputy president, the Ol-Kalou by-election is shaping up to be a direct political showdown between the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) and the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
“The Ol-Kalou by-election is clearly between the Democracy for the Citizens Party and the United Democratic Alliance,” he stated.
The by-election is expected to serve as a major political test for both the Kenya Kwanza administration and the emerging opposition alliance led by figures seeking to challenge President William Ruto’s government ahead of the next general election.
The Ol-Kalou contest has been viewed as more than a mini-election, with its outcome likely to be interpreted as a measure of the growing influence of the opposition movement and the popularity of the ruling UDA in the Mt Kenya region.
UDA, DCP showdown
The Olkalou seat was declared vacant by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) following the death of its long-term serving member of parliament, David Njuguna Kiaraho, who was elected on a Jubilee ticket in the 2022 general elections and was serving on his third term. The by-elections to fill this void are slated for June 16, 2026.
Samuel Kamau Ngotho will fly the Democracy for the Citizens (DCP) party flag in the by-elections after garnering 12,957 votes in the party’s primaries.
In an exercise held in the constituency on Saturday, May 9, 2026, Ngotho, who also doubles as the DCP coordinator in the county, defeated his opponents in a race that attracted nine candidates.
The second runner-up, Paul Waiganjo, came a distant second with 4,978 votes and has since defected to the ruling side, the United Democratic Alliance side.
The United Democratic Alliance Party’s flag will be raised by Samuel Muchina Nyaga, who emerged victorious, clinching the ticket for the ruling party.
Muchina is a former personal assistant to the late MP David Kiaraho. He secured 3,221 votes in the UDA’s primaries.