The tight contest that was Kiambaa

DP William Ruto, UDA's John Njuguna Wanjiku, President Uhuru Kenyatta, and Jubilee's Njama Kariri. [Courtesy]

The Kiambaa parliamentary by-election was a closely contested race pitting Jubilee Party against its current fiercest rival, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

One hundred and fifty-four (154) polling stations streamed their results, with UDA candidate John Njuguna Wanjiku leading from the onset.

In the final tally, Njuguna garnered 21,773 votes while Jubilee Party candidate Njama Kariri amassed 21,263 - a difference of 510 votes.

The valid votes counted were 43,293, representing a voter turnout of 45.1 per cent. Kiambaa had 96,020 registered voters.

The results showed the other six contestants completely out of the race, with the third candidate Gichia Evans Wainaina of the People’s Party of Kenya, garnering 80 votes.

Njuguna will replace Paul Koinange, the former holder of the Kiambaa parliamentary seat. Koinange died on March 31, 2021, while receiving treatment at a Nairobi hospital.

Koinange, who led Kiambaa from 2017, died of Covid-19 complications aged 72.