Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, the Deputy Party Leader of Jubilee, has congratulated Rigathi Gachagua and the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) ahead of the completion of vote tallying in the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election.

In an X post dated July 16, 2026, Matiang’i stated: “Hearty congratulations to my brother, my colleague, and friend, Hon. Rigathi Gachagua, the DCP fraternity, especially Senator Methu and his Ol Kalou team, for a much-deserved victory in the historic Ol Kalou by-election.

“A new page in the story of Kenya’s politics opens. In the true spirit of democracy, let all who participated in the by-election now cross ranks and, from tomorrow, embark on the journey of supporting Hon. Sammy Kamau Ngotho to move the constituency’s development forward.”

His message comes even as the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is yet to complete the official tallying, verification and declaration of results. Vote counting continued after polling stations closed on Thursday evening.

UDA candidate concedes defeat

United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate Samuel Muchina has, however, already conceded defeat in the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, congratulating DCP candidate Kamau Ngotho before the IEBC announces the official results.

In a brief statement on his Facebook page on Thursday, July 16, 2026, Muchina said: “Congratulations Sammy Kamau Waweru. Go serve the people of Ol Kalou Constituency.”

Muchina’s concession marks one of the first public reactions following the close of voting and comes as the official tallying process continues.

As counting got underway, DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua began streaming a parallel tallying centre to monitor results from individual polling stations alongside the official IEBC process.

“We will have a parallel counting system on our DCP page so that Kenyans can follow,” Gachagua said.

IEBC urges reliance on official updates

The IEBC has warned polling officials against violating electoral laws, saying anyone found breaching the Code of Conduct or the Election Offences Act during the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election will face disciplinary and legal action.

The commission urged all election officials to uphold integrity, impartiality and professionalism as vote counting continued. It also condemned isolated cases of violence, intimidation and disruption reported during the voting process.

IEBC reminded the public to rely only on official communication from the commission and to refrain from sharing unverified information. Voter turnout had reached 50.78 per cent by 3:00 pm.

The electoral agency is expected to announce the official results after completing the verification and tallying of all votes cast in the constituency.

Matiang’i’s message and call for unity came before the completion of the IEBC tallying process. The Ol Kalou by-election has drawn significant national attention, with the commission expected to declare the final results after completing the statutory verification and tallying exercise.