Kipipiri member of Parliament (MP) Wanjiku Muhia has likened the voter anger witnessed in the Ol Kalou by-election to the growing dissatisfaction being felt across the country, saying the constituency merely reflected the national mood.

Speaking during an interview on a local media station on Monday, July 20, 2026, Muhia argued that the frustrations expressed by Ol Kalou voters are no different from those being experienced by Kenyans in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kitui, Nakuru and other parts of the country.

She said many families in rural areas depend on relatives working in major towns. Still, the current economic situation has made it difficult for them to send money home to cover basic needs, such as school fees and medical expenses.

“Ol Kalou is not separate from the rest of Kenya. The people there have relatives in Nairobi, Gikomba, and many other places. Whatever people in Mombasa, Nairobi, Kitui, or elsewhere are feeling is the same feeling that the people of Ol Kalou have,” she said.

Reason for Muchina’s rejection

Muhia further claimed that voters rejected the government-backed candidate because they did not want to support policies they believe have increased the cost of living and taxation. She also cited concerns over plans to establish an Ebola quarantine facility in neighbouring Laikipia and at Tumaini, near Ol Kalou, saying residents viewed the by-election as an opportunity to voice their opposition.

According to the legislator, the outcome of the Ol Kalou by-election reflected the broader public mood, which she linked to the growing discontent seen across the country, including among Gen Z protesters.

DCP’s win

This comes after the Ol Kalou by-election, where DCP candidate Sammy Douglas Kamau Waweru emerged victorious in a landslide.

The July 16, 2026, parliamentary by-election in Nyandarua County’s Ol Kalou Constituency saw Kamau, also known as Sammy Kamau Ngotho, of the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), crush his rivals.

He garnered approximately 35,440 votes, nearly seven times more than his closest competitor, Samuel Muchina Nyagah of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), who received around 5,450 votes.

Other candidates, including Wilson Mwaniki Kigwa of the Jubilee Party, managed only a few hundred votes each, with total valid votes surpassing 30,000 in the partial tallies reported. The seat had fallen vacant following the death of the area MP, David Njuguna Kiaraho.

Message from the Ol Kalou byelection

The Ol Kalou outcome

The outcome is being interpreted as a significant boost for former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s DCP and a major setback for President William Ruto’s UDA in the Mt Kenya region.

Campaigns were highly charged and expensive, marked by cash handouts, gifts, and promises of infrastructure projects.

Despite heavy security deployment and isolated incidents of chaos at some polling stations, the voting and counting process concluded, paving the way for IEBC to declare Kamau the duly elected MP.