NAIROBI,Kenya July 17 – The Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) has clinched the Ol Kalou parliamentary seat after its candidate, Sammy Kamau Ngotho, was declared the winner of Thursday’s fiercely contested by-election, delivering a significant political boost to the opposition and a major setback for President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA). Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) officials announced the final results early Friday, declaring Kamau the duly elected Member of Parliament after he garnered 35,440 votes.His closest challenger, UDA candidate Samuel Muchina Nyaga, finished a distant second with 5,450 votes, while Jubilee Party’s Wilson Kigwa came in third.Kamau’s emphatic victory capped an intense campaign that had transformed the Nyandarua constituency into one of the country’s most closely watched political battlegrounds, attracting senior leaders from both the Kenya Kwanza administration and the opposition.The by-election was widely viewed as a litmus test of the political strength of Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and President Ruto’s administration in the Mt Kenya region, with opposition leaders equally investing heavily in the contest as they sought to demonstrate growing support ahead of the 2027 General Election.Voting on Thursday was largely peaceful in many polling stations but was overshadowed by isolated incidents of violence and intimidation, particularly in Ol Kalou town, where armed gangs disrupted voting and assaulted several journalists covering the exercise. The incidents drew widespread condemnation from media organisations, civil society groups and political leaders, who called for swift investigations and prosecution of those responsible. Earlier in the day, the IEBC had reported that polling stations opened on time and that voting was progressing smoothly, with voter turnout reaching 38.2 per cent by 1 p.m. The electoral commission also reminded political parties that only accredited agents would be allowed inside polling stations and tallying centres and warned against any attempts to interfere with the electoral process. Following the close of polling, ballot boxes from across the constituency were transported under heavy police escort to the constituency tallying centre at Ol Kalou Senior School, where supporters closely followed the counting process until the final declaration.Kamau’s victory now gives DCP its first parliamentary foothold through a by-election and is expected to intensify political realignments in the Mt Kenya region as parties begin positioning themselves for the 2027 elections. The outcome is also likely to fuel fresh debate over shifting political loyalties in a region that has traditionally been regarded as a Kenya Kwanza stronghold.