This archive report was first published on 8 November 2019.
ODM's Imran Okoth Wins Kibra By-Election ¶
On November 7, 2019, Imran Okoth, the ODM candidate, emerged victorious in the hotly-contested Kibra by-election, securing 24,636 votes.
His closest rival, McDonald Mariga from the Jubilee Party, trailed behind with 11,230 votes.
As vote counting was underway, Mariga conceded defeat and called Okoth to congratulate him.
Mariga expressed his support for Okoth, saying: “After elections tutarudi ile life yetu ya mabeshte na kila kitu…”
Okoth responded to the congratulatory call, tweeting: “I'm humbled to have received a congratulatory call from @MarigaOfficial. That’s the spirit of politics. I promise to move forward with every interested party for the good of our people. God bless Kibra.”
Other notable figures, including Ahmednasir Abdullahi SC and Anne Waiguru, congratulated Okoth on his landslide victory.
At third position was Eliud Owalo (ANC) with 5,275 votes, followed by Khamisi Butichi (Ford Kenya) in fourth place with 260 votes.
A total of 24 candidates contested for the Kibra parliamentary seat, which fell vacant following the death of Ken Okoth in July 2019.
The mini poll in Kibra was marred by several incidents of alleged voter bribery and pockets of violence.
Three people were arrested over alleged voter bribery as Kibra residents cast their votes to elect a new Member of Parliament.
