'I am ready for the outcome': Muchina on Ol Kalou vote

UDA candidate in Ol Kalou by-election Samuel Muchina cast his vote at Huruma Polling Station. [Julius Chepkwony, Standard]

Ruling party candidate Samuel Muchina has pledged to accept the outcome of Thursday's Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, saying he trusts the process regardless of the result.

Muchina, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) nominee, voted at Huruma Primary School in Kaimbaga ward at around 9:15 a.m., telling reporters he expects to win but is prepared to lose.

"I am ready for the outcome because I know I am winning. If I lose, it's also okay. I will follow the law," he said.

He praised the security deployment across the constituency, saying officers had been posted widely to keep order.

"Security is well organised and officers are everywhere," he noted.

Muchina also welcomed the early voter turnout, which he described as proof of public commitment to the democratic process.

"We are here to vote. We are here to exercise our democratic right. I am happy with the turnout. People have turned out in good numbers," he added.

His comments came as residents across Ol Kalou queued before dawn despite biting cold in Nyandarua County, many wrapped in jackets and blankets outside polling stations at Kiganjo Primary and Kiganjo Secondary schools.

The by-election was triggered by the death of long-serving MP David Njuguna Kiaraho in March.

Nine candidates cleared by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) are contesting the seat, with the race widely viewed as a two-horse contest between Nyagah and Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) candidate Sammy Kamau Ngotho.