The National Liberal Party (NLP) leader Dr Augustus Kyalo Muli/HANDOUT
The National Liberal Party (NLP) has described its performance in the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election as an encouraging step in its grassroots expansion, despite its candidate finishing fourth in the contest.
The election was overwhelmingly dominated by the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) and the United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
NLP candidate Stephen Wanyoike Waithaka garnered 103 votes, placing the party ahead of the Party of National Unity (PNU), which secured 28 votes, but behind Jubilee, which received 198 votes.
While the tally was modest, the party maintains it reflects growing support for a political outfit that is still rebuilding its national structures.
Speaking after the declaration of results, NLP leader Dr Augustus Kyalo Muli said the by-election was less a contest of policies than a high-stakes political showdown between the country's two dominant camps.
"This was a proxy war. Voters were choosing sides, not policy. But 103 Kenyans still chose liberal ideas. That is our foundation," Muli said.
He argued that the party's performance should be viewed in the context of its age and organisational growth, noting that NLP has been under his leadership for only two years.
"To be ranked alongside Jubilee and PNU is not easy. NLP is two years under my leadership. We showed up. We tried. Against all odds," he said.
The National Liberal Party (NLP) candidate in Ol Kalou Stephen Wanyoike Waithaka/HANDOUT
Muli further noted that while Jubilee spent a decade in government and PNU remains one of Kenya's oldest political parties, NLP has only recently embarked on rebuilding its structures.
"Jubilee had 10 years in government. PNU has a national legacy. We have two years of rebuilding. From zero to 103. That is progress," he added.
The Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election delivered a decisive victory for the opposition-aligned Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), with its candidate, Sammy Douglas Kamau Waweru, winning the seat by a landslide.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) declared Waweru the duly elected Member of Parliament after he garnered 35,440 votes.
United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate Samuel Muchina Nyagah finished a distant second with 5,450 votes.
The by-election attracted nationwide attention, with senior political leaders pitching camp in Nyandarua County in the days leading to the vote.
