By James Murimi - Reporter
Kenya, 15 May 2026 - President William Ruto and his former deputy Rigathi Gachagua on Thursday turned the Emurua Dikirr parliamentary by-election into a high-stakes political supremacy contest, with both sides claiming victory after a bruising battle in the South Rift.
The by-election, occasioned by the death of former Emurua Dikirr MP Johanna Ngeno in a plane crash in February this year, was widely viewed as the first direct political test between Ruto and Gachagua following their dramatic fallout.
UDA candidate David Kipsang Keter won the seat after garnering 18,266 votes across the constituency’s 94 polling stations, defeating Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) candidate Vincent Kibet Rotich, who secured 10,760 votes.
Despite losing the contest, Gachagua declared the outcome a political breakthrough for his newly formed DCP party, arguing that the opposition had shaken Ruto in what has long been considered the President’s political backyard.
“DCP stormed Mr William Ruto’s perceived stronghold in style and gave him a run for his money,” Gachagua said in a statement shortly after the results were announced.
The former Deputy President portrayed the by-election as a symbolic victory against the Kenya Kwanza administration, saying the performance by Rotich had transformed DCP into a serious political force in the Rift Valley barely one year after the party’s formation.
“A score of 10,760 votes is no mean feat,” Gachagua said, while congratulating Rotich and his campaign team.
In a direct attack on the President, Gachagua accused the ruling party of using state structures and public resources to retain control of the constituency.
He alleged that millions of shillings were distributed through chiefs, village elders and Nyumba Kumi officials in a last-minute voter bribery operation ahead of the poll.
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The results nonetheless handed Ruto an important political win in the South Rift, a region regarded as the bedrock of his support, at a time when Gachagua has intensified efforts to penetrate the area politically ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The fierce contest exposed the growing political rivalry between the two leaders, with Gachagua using the outcome to project himself as the face of a rising opposition movement challenging Ruto’s dominance across the country.
“My brother Vincent Rotich, for all practical purposes you are the hero of the day,” Gachagua said.
He further declared that DCP had emerged as “the most credible alternative vehicle” for leaders dissatisfied with the ruling establishment.
Gachagua also praised Emurua Dikirr voters for what he termed their “independence of mind” and resistance to intimidation during the campaign period.
He announced plans to visit the constituency after returning from an overseas trip to the United Kingdom to personally thank supporters who backed Rotich.
“Watch this space. Vincent Rotich will be the candidate to beat in 2027,” he declared.
Other candidates in the race included Gideon Koech of NVPK Party, who garnered 190 votes, Desma Cherono of PNU with 80 votes, and Kiprono Rotich of RLP, who received 62 votes.