Ndegwa Njiru says Ol Kalou outcome signals trouble for Ruto ahead of 2027
By Emmanuel Rono, July 18, 2026Lawyer and political activist Ndegwa Njiru has weighed in on the outcome of the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, saying the result should serve as a warning to President William Ruto ahead of the 2027 General Election.
In a statement on his X account on Saturday, July 18, 2026, Njiru argued that the by-election reflected growing public dissatisfaction with the Kenya Kwanza administration.
“Kenyans, thank you for reminding Ruto that his biggest Waterloo is near. Ol Kalou was just but a taste of the pudding that awaits him in 2027!” Njiru said.
Ol Kalou by-elections
Njiru’s remarks come after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) declared Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) candidate Sammy Douglas Waweru Kamau the winner of the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election with 35,440 votes, defeating UDA’s Samuel Muchina Nyaga, who garnered 5,450 votes.
The outcome has continued to generate political reactions, with opposition leaders portraying the victory as evidence of changing political tides in the Mt Kenya region ahead of the 2027 polls.
Nyandarua Senator John Methu has also hailed the victory as the will of the people while commending the IEBC for conducting what he termed a “credible, believable, verifiable and accurate election.”
“Please allow me to take this very, very early opportunity to congratulate you, Sammy, our new Member of Parliament for Ol Kalou… it has now come to pass,” Methu said.
However, Methu also raised concern over violence reported during the by-election.
“We cannot normalise this kind of violence during elections. If this kind of violence is happening just after the election, I wonder what will happen in 2027,” he said.
The by-election also saw UDA candidate Samuel Muchina concede defeat even before the final declaration, congratulating his rival in a move widely praised as promoting peaceful democratic competition.
“Congratulations Sammy Kamau Waweru. Go serve the people of Ol Kalou Constituency,” Muchina said.
Njiru’s statement adds to a growing list of opposition leaders who have cited the Ol Kalou outcome as a political barometer ahead of the next General Election.
In separate reactions, DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa, Kalonzo Musyoka, Fred Matiang’i and other opposition figures described the victory as proof that voters had rejected intimidation, voter inducements and the misuse of state machinery.