Kapsaret MP Oscar Sudi / HANDOUT
Kapsaret MP Oscar Sudi has described UDA's loss in the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election as a wake-up call, saying the outcome had opened their eyes.
Sudi said UDA party had accepted defeat and would work with the newly elected MP.
Speaking during a press conference on Sunday, the Legislator urged leaders to move on from the contest and avoid divisive politics.
"The outcome of elections is the decision of God, not human beings. God's plan will lead us all. I can assure you that Mt Kenya will not get lost. The Ol Kalou by-election was good; it opened our eyes. We are not fools," Sudi said.
"We accepted the defeat in the Ol Kalou by-election. We raised our hands and accepted defeat. The elected MP will come to Parliament and we shall work with him. Let us stop insults and politics of division. I ask Kenyans from all political divides to love each other and be united. Let us not move as if we are enemies."
Sudi also weighed in on speculation over possible changes in President William Ruto's Cabinet following the by-election, saying Cabinet appointments remain the President's prerogative.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Appointments of Cabinet Secretaries are President William Ruto's job. If it were me, I would not remove Mt Kenya ministers from Cabinet based on the outcome of the Ol Kalou by-election. Cabinet Secretaries from Mt Kenya contributed so much to the formation of the current regime," he said.
His remarks come days after Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) candidate Sammy Douglas Waweru Kamau won the July 16 Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election by a landslide.
Official results released by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) showed Waweru garnering 35,440 votes against UDA candidate Samuel Muchina Nyagah's 5,450 votes.
The victory handed DCP its first parliamentary seat since the party's formation and dealt President Ruto's UDA a significant political setback in a contest widely viewed as a key test of political influence in the Mt Kenya region ahead of the 2027 General Election.
UDA mounted an aggressive campaign anchored on government development projects, with a section of Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, governors and MPs traversing the constituency, urging residents to back Muchina.
The campaigns also saw the distribution of various items, including mattresses, water tanks, gas cylinders and boats, with government leaders maintaining that they were part of ongoing development initiatives.
Opposition leaders, however, dismissed the move as an attempt to influence voters.
On the other hand, DCP built its campaign around the high cost of living, economic hardship and calls for political change, with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua leading a series of rallies alongside Nyandarua Senator John Methu, Woman Representative Wanjiku Muhia and other opposition leaders.
The campaign period was marked by heightened political tensions, with allegations of voter bribery, violence, intimidation and the destruction of campaign materials dominating the race.
