No fuel, no problem: Ol Kalou candidate turns up to vote on a donkey

Timothy Kamau Kariuki of People's Renaissance Party cast his vote at the Kieni primary school. [David Gichuru, Standard]

A parliamentary candidate in the Ol Kalou by-election arrived at his polling station on a donkey on Thursday, drawing amused attention from voters gathered to cast their ballots.

Timothy Kamau Kariuki, who is running under the People's Renaissance Movement ticket, fed his donkey mandazi before walking into Kieni Primary School to vote.

"I have arrived here with this, this is my car, and I'm here to cast my vote and to ensure I have represented my people in this constituency," said Kariuki, speaking to KTN journalist Allan Ochanda.

Kariuki said he had relied on the donkey throughout his campaign.

"This has been my mode of transport that I have been using during campaigns, and today it has culminated in this," he said.

People's Renaissance Party candidate Timothy Kamau arriving on a donkey to cast his vote for the Ol Kalou for Member of parliament representative by-election at Kieni Primary School polling station, on 16th July 2026. [David Gichuru, Standard]

He blamed rising fuel costs and his own financial constraints for the decision to skip a car.

"Donkey is because fuel has gone up and my capabilities. I have been using it to move around, and it does not require much, as you can see, it is just grass," he added.

Kariuki expressed confidence he would win the seat and called on other leaders to work together.

He is one of nine candidates on the ballot, though the contest has narrowed into a proxy battle between President William Ruto's United Democratic Alliance (UDA), fielding Samuel Muchina Nyagah, and Rigathi Gachagua's Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), fielding Sammy Kamau Ngotho.

Voting opened at 6am for the parliamentary seat, with 73,480 registered voters across five wards expected to cast ballots at 144 polling stations.

The seat fell vacant after MP David Kiaraho died in March while undergoing treatment at Nairobi Hospital.