Kevin Ochieng, the Jubilee Party candidate narrowly won the Kahawa Wendani member of county assembly seat in a by-election that saw less than 13 percent of voters turn out to cast their votes.
Out of the 15,941 registered voters only 2,006 came out to vote in an election that attracted 15 candidates from various parties.
Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) did not field a candidate for the ward seat and instead has been supporting Ochieng.
Ochieng who garnered 823 votes to win the election was closely followed by People’s Empowerment Party (PEP) candidate Bernard Bernard Kariuki Karanja who managed 641 votes.
The results were announced by the area returning officer Kuria Mbugua who handed over the winning certificate to Ochieng.
Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria, a close ally of Deputy President William Ruto and who happens to be the PEP’s party founder led Kariuki in conceding defeat late in the night.
Kuria said that while they were disappointed by low-voter turnout, the political competition is not enmity and that political leaders should embrace the culture of uniting people after elections.
He urged Ochieng, a brother to the late MCA Cyrus Omondi to work together with Kariuki fast tracking development in the ward, vowing to hold their hands in the new endeavour.
Kuria insisted that Kenya does not require constitutional amendments to achieve political maturing of leaders conceding defeat when an election is done in a free and fair manner.
On their part, Ochieng and Kariuki who joined Kuria in a presser vowed to work together to recoup the lost time that the ward has not been having an MCA.
Ochieng said he would bring all the aspirants on board to help him fast-track completion of infrastructural developments that Omondi started before his mysterious demise.
Ruiru MP Simon King’ara and under whose constituency the ward is situated called on Ochieng to now shift his focus on development owing to the fact that he would be in office for one year only before the next election.
He further called on Kahawa Wendani residents to uphold a peaceful coexistence and support their leaders in developing the cosmopolitan area.
The MCA seat fell vacant following the mysterious death of Omondi alias Gearbox, while on official duty in India on February 12 this year.