By Mangoa Mosota and James Omoro
Augustino Neto Oyugi won the Ndhiwa by-election with provisional results showed he won by a landslide margin.
Neto won the contest beating his closest rival, Kanuâs Tom Alila with 19, 275 votes. He bagged 89.9 per cent of the 24, 255 votes cast. The other candidate was Rosemary Rumo of TNA. Alila scored a paltry 2,290 votes.
The 35-year-old MP elect was confident of emerging the victor during the campaigns for the seat after he won the ODM ticket amid controversy.. The campaigns attracted national party leaders such as Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Kanuâs chairman Gideon Moi and TNA presidential aspirant Uhuru Kenyatta.
Neto had expressed that the seat was as good as his after he beat 22 aspirants in the ODM nominations
âI won this contest many days ago, the election was a mere formality,â he said yesterday.
Neto was excited as his supporters congratulated him with song and dance. The results were being shown on a large screen, after tallying at Ndhiwa Multi Purpose Hall, in Ndhiwa town.
There were 48, 661 registered voters, but those who cast their vote were 24, 255, representing voter turnout of 49.9 per cent.
There was little cheering as the Returning Officer Maurice Simiyu read the results.
In his victory speech, Neto said he has developed a strategic plan, which will guide him in the development of the constituency.
âThe infrastructure of the constituency, especially the road is in poor state. This will be my priority,â he said.
His win gives comfort to Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who last weekend said he would not seek the presidency if Neto lost in the by-election.
