Vote counting is underway in the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election after polling stations closed on Thursday evening, marking the start of the decisive phase in a contest that has attracted national political attention.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) began tallying ballots after voting ended, with election officials expected to compile results from polling stations before announcing the official outcome. The exercise follows a day of voting that the commission said largely progressed as planned, despite isolated incidents and political claims over the conduct of the polls.

IEBC says voting progressed smoothly

Earlier, the electoral agency said the by-election was conducted smoothly, reporting a voter turnout of 38.2 per cent by 1 pm and urging eligible voters to cast their ballots before polling stations closed.

“The Commission is pleased to announce to the country that the scheduled by-election to fill the vacant position of Member of National Assembly for Ol Kalou Constituency is progressing well as planned,” IEBC said in a statement shared on its X account on Thursday, July 16, 2026.

The commission also appealed to political parties, candidates, agents, the media and voters to uphold peace and comply with electoral laws during the tallying process.

IEBC further assured Kenyans that it would continue issuing updates as counting and result verification continue.

Gachagua unveils parallel tally

As counting got underway, Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua announced that his party had established 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.

The former Deputy President said DCP agents would transmit results declared at polling stations to the party’s tallying centre, maintaining that the exercise would enhance transparency.

Gachagua also accused IEBC of deliberately delaying voting to push the counting exercise into the night.

“I am told the IEBC is now compromised. They are delaying the voting so that after 5:00 pm, they can extend voting hours, allowing the counting process to begin after dark,” he claimed.

However, IEBC had not confirmed the allegations or indicated any deliberate delay in the voting process by the time of publication.

Attention shifts to official results

The by-election has emerged as one of the country’s most closely watched political contests, with the race viewed as an early test of political strength ahead of the 2027 General Election.

While political parties continue monitoring the tallying exercise through their agents, IEBC has maintained that only results announced through its official electoral process will determine the winner of the Ol Kalou parliamentary seat.

Security personnel remained deployed across the constituency as counting continued, with the commission urging all stakeholders to remain peaceful while awaiting the official declaration of results.