How rebellious Ol Kalou voters have frustrated previous regimes

Nyandarua Senator John Methu and Ol Kalou MP-elect Sammy Ngotho during the by-election on July 16,2026. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

Since 1975, during the era of the firebrand politician JM Kariuki, Ol Kalou has developed a reputation for resisting political waves, accepting campaign handouts but ultimately voting according to conscience.

The constituency has followed in the footsteps of the political martyr, who dared to speak truth to power without being cowed by State influence and intimidation.

JM Kariuki was a vocal champion of the poor and a fierce critic of government corruption. Through his famous declaration, "We do not want a Kenya of ten millionaires and ten million beggars," he openly challenged the government. As a result, the State banned his campaign rallies in 1974.

Despite the restrictions, he won the then Nyandarua North parliamentary seat by a landslide. This was before the constituency was split into Kipipiri and Ol Kalou constituencies.

JM Kariuki's assassination in 1975 remains one of the most significant and unresolved events in Kenya's political history.

The constituency again attracted national attention during the 1995 Kipipiri by-election, the first major electoral contest after the reintroduction of multiparty politics in 1991.

The ruling Kanu faced the Democratic Party (DP), led by Mwai Kibaki, who would later become President. Kanu fielded Joe Maina, while DP backed Mwangi Githiomi.

The government rolled out development projects, including erecting electricity poles, deploying tractors to construct roads and installing transformers in an attempt to woo voters.

The message was clear: elect the Kanu candidate and the area would be connected to the national electricity grid.

Despite the incentives, DP won by a landslide. Shortly afterwards, the electricity poles were reportedly removed.

In his autobiography, former Cabinet minister Njenga Karume wrote: "Moi's carrot-and-stick tactics had flopped hopelessly."

Kanu's defeat became the subject of jokes across the country, with critics arguing that political loyalty could not simply be bought. Many viewed the outcome as proof that political power has limits when citizens vote according to their convictions.

One of the enduring headlines from that election was Moi aonja pilipili Kipipiri ("Moi tastes pepper in Kipipiri").

The constituency once again defied political expectations during the 2021 Rurii Ward by-election in Ol Kalou.

The contest pitted the then ruling Jubilee Party against the newly formed United Democratic Alliance (UDA), led by then Deputy President William Ruto.

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta's camp was represented by the Kieleweke faction, led by former Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu, while UDA's campaign was spearheaded by then Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua.

Once again, the ruling Jubilee Party suffered defeat as little-known UDA candidate Francis Muraya won with 4,003 votes against Jubilee's Peter Thenji, who garnered 3,143.

Political heavyweights reportedly poured millions into the campaigns, but Ol Kalou voters once again charted their own course.

In the 2022 General Election, almost every aspirant who secured a UDA ticket in the Mt Kenya region was widely expected to win.

However, despite the yellow wave sweeping across the region, Ol Kalou once again broke ranks by electing the late David Kiaraho on a Jubilee Party ticket.

Kiaraho garnered 24,058 votes, defeating UDA candidate Sammy Kamau, who received 19,380 votes.

In the just-concluded by-election, Kamau, who had since defected from UDA to Rigathi Gachagua's Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), secured 35,440 votes to defeat UDA's Samuel Muchina Nyaga, who garnered 5,450 votes, reinforcing the constituency's long-standing reputation for defying prevailing political trends.

Despite government efforts that included distributing gas cylinders, Government of Kenya-branded mattresses, blankets, fingerlings, chicks and launching development projects, the electorate still voted for the Opposition candidate.

Political analysts say the voting pattern sends an ominous signal for UDA ahead of next year's elections, arguing that it represents a significant setback for President Ruto's re-election prospects.

Constitutional lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi said the outcome was "history repeating itself" because it mirrored the events of 1994.

"Moi tried to buy Kikuyu votes in the 1990s with the Central Kenya Development Group, chaired by SK Macharia, and spent billions in vain. Ol Kalou has told President Ruto not to follow the Moi manual. In Mt Kenya, it is the people who determine the political direction, not politicians. Those featherweight politicians from Kiambu telling President Ruto that Kikuyus will vote for him in 2027 are rent-seekers who simply want to feed on his political resources," he said.

Ahmednasir argued that Thursday's vote offered President Ruto a stark political choice.

"He can continue listening to politicians whose support is in single digits and believe their narrative that he will secure 40 per cent of the Mt Kenya vote, or he can rethink his strategy. The choices are clear."

Lawyer Evans Otieno said the election demonstrated that voters cannot always be persuaded by campaign handouts.

"So after the mattresses, LPG cylinders, milk packets and the last-minute rush of government projects, the return on investment is 13 per cent? It turns out voters cannot always be bought, and political theatre has its limits," he said.

He added: "No amount of last-minute generosity can substitute for public trust. The ballot box has a habit of humbling those who mistake State resources and campaign handouts for genuine support. That is a lesson no spin doctor can rewrite."

Murang'a Governor Irungu Kang'ata said Ol Kalou had repeatedly demonstrated that political influence is not determined by population size.

"Ol Kalou may be a relatively small constituency, but it has repeatedly demonstrated that democratic influence is not measured by population alone. Like David facing Goliath, it has often reminded larger political forces that conviction can outweigh resources."