Wetangula's PA Wafula Wakoli defeats UDA, Azimio candidates in Bungoma Senate by-election

Wafula Wakoli (L) is the Bungoma Senator-elect after securing victory in the December 8, 2022 by-election. [File, Standard]

Wafula Wakoli of Ford-Kenya has won the Bungoma senatorial race, overcoming competition from ten other candidates.

Provisional results from all the nine constituencies in Bungoma County showed on Friday, December 9 that Wakoli got 64,009 votes, ahead of Mwambu Mabonga of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and Wafula Wamunyinyi of the Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K).

Mabonga got 45,682 votes to take the first runner-up position, while Wamunyinyi came third with 22,296 votes.

Wakoli will succeed Moses Wetangula who, on September 7, resigned from the senatorial position and successfully contested for the National Assembly Speaker seat, defeating former Speaker Kenneth Marende.

In the August 9, 2022 General Election, Wetangula of Ford-Kenya won the Bungoma senatorial seat for the third consecutive term with a landslide victory, getting 286,143 votes. The first runner-up, Machacha Machembe, got just over 21,000 votes.

Following Wakoli's victory in the December 8, 2022 by-election, the Bungoma senatorial seat firmly remains in the hands of Ford-Kenya.

Wafula Wakoli, a former Kiswahili teacher at Milima Friends Secondary School, had been Wetangula's personal assistant for more than ten years.

He will be a first-time lawmaker upon taking the oath of office.