This archive report was first published on 20 November 2019.
On November 19, 2019, Bernard Okoth, now known as Imran Okoth, took the oath of office as the new Kibra MP at Parliament buildings in Nairobi. The event was marked by drama as Maina Kamanda, a nominated Jubilee MP, tried to rub Imran's victory in the face of Tanga Tanga supporters in the National Assembly.
Imran Okoth secured 24,636 votes to win the by-election, defeating 23 other contestants. McDonald Mariga, the Jubilee candidate, came in second with 11,230 votes, while Eliud Owalo, the ANC candidate, trailed behind with 5,275 votes.
The Kibra by-election was a highly contested and vicious affair, with key political players using it as a test drive for the 2022 elections. Raila Odinga and William Ruto were seen as the main protagonists, with the DP pulling out all stops to wrestle the seat from Odinga.
Despite his efforts, Mariga's loss was significant, with Imran Okoth securing a substantial margin. The total votes cast were 41,984, representing a 35.38% voter turnout out of the registered 118,658 voters.
ODM party leader Raila Odinga expressed gratitude to Kibra residents for overwhelmingly voting for Imran Okoth. The by-election was called to replace Ken Okoth, who passed away due to cancer in July 2019.
