Uriri Member of Parliament Mark Nyamita has dismissed assertions that the outcome of the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election is an indication of President William Ruto’s chances in the 2027 General Election.
Nyamita argued that the by-election cannot be interpreted as a referendum on the presidency because President Ruto was not a candidate in the contest.
“I don’t think this election has any bearing on the presidency because the president was not on the ballot. To say that the opposition should now get excited and claim it has shown that a sitting president can be removed is misplaced. There was no sitting candidate in that by-election defending a seat,” he said.
The legislator also criticized the opposition, describing it as “a batch of people collected together by hate for one individual,” while arguing that the coalition has failed to demonstrate unity by fielding a single candidate in recent by-elections.
Nyamita further maintained that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has successfully conducted credible by-elections since the 2022 General Election, saying the polls have helped restore public confidence in the country’s electoral process.
His remarks follow the July 17 Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, in which Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) candidate Sammy Kamau Ngotho secured 35,440 votes to defeat United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate Samuel Muchina, who garnered 5,450 votes.
Nyamita joins other Kenya Kwanza leaders who have sought to downplay the political significance of the Ol Kalou results amid claims by opposition figures that the outcome reflects shifting public sentiment ahead of the next general election.
He also observed that parts of the Mt. Kenya West region appear to have gravitated towards the opposition and urged politicians with leadership ambitions to better understand the concerns and priorities of the people they seek to represent.
