Thousands of voters turned out for the Ol Kalou by-election on Thursday, in a contest widely seen as a referendum on the political fortunes of the ruling UDA party in one of its traditional strongholds.
The vote comes six years after UDA established its foothold in Nyandarua through the Rurii Ward by-election, following the death of MCA John Githinji Mburu in January 2021. The party's victory there, through Francis Muraya Githaiga, marked the beginning of its expansion across the Mt Kenya region.
At polling stations visited by the Nation , most voters were elderly, with relatively few Gen Z voters turning up to cast their ballots.
Elderly women wait to cast their votes at Huruma Primary School in Ol Kalou on July 16, 2026.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
An elderly woman is assisted to cast her vote at Huruma Primary School in Ol Kalou on July 16, 2026.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
However, groups of young people gathered outside many polling centres, where they directed traffic and restricted vehicle access.
Groups of youths at AC Primary polling station gate in Ol Kalou. Their mission was to ensure no vehicle enters the premises.
Photo credit: Waikwa Maina | Nation Media Group
By midday, voter turnout varied sharply between urban and rural polling stations. IEBC officials estimated turnout at about 70 percent in urban centres, compared with roughly 30 percent in rural areas.
Long queues were observed at AC Primary School, where DCP candidate Kamau Ngotho is registered to vote, and Huruma Primary School, the polling station for UDA candidate Muchina Nyaga.
DCP candidate Kamau Ngotho after casting his ballot at AC Primary School polling station. He said he was encouraged by how IEBC is conducting the exercise.
Photo credit: Waikwa Maina | Nation Media Group
UDA candidate Muchina Nyaga votes at the Huruma polling station on July 16, 2026.
Photo credit: Waikwa Maina | Nation
The two stations, located barely 300 metres apart in Ol Kalou town, became focal points of the day's voting after featuring prominently during the campaign period. Huruma Primary is in Kaimbaga Ward, while AC Primary is in Karau Ward.
At the busiest polling stations — including AC Primary, Huruma Primary and Rurii Polytechnic — groups of youths controlled vehicle movement, allowing only pedestrians into the polling centres.
At Rurii Polytechnic, which has more than 2,500 registered voters across five polling streams, IEBC officials estimated turnout at about 50 percent by midday.
Voters at Rurii Polytechnic polling station in Ol Kalou.
Photo credit: Waikwa Maina | Nation Media Group
Turnout, however, declined significantly in rural areas. At Kieni Polling Station, about five kilometres from Ol Kalou town, IEBC officials estimated turnout at below 25 per cent by noon. Records from one polling stream showed that only 123 voters had cast their ballots by midday.
Election officials, nevertheless, expected numbers to rise later in the afternoon, noting that many rural residents were farmers who typically head to polling stations after completing morning farm duties. In contrast, many business owners in Ol Kalou town closed their premises early to vote.
Deserted streets of Ol Kalou town.
Photo credit: Waikwa Maina | Nation Media Group
Most candidates had cast their ballots before midday. UDA candidate Muchina Nyaga voted at 8.23am, Jubilee's Wilson Kigwa voted at 10.10am at Kandutura Polling Station, while DCP's Kamau Ngotho cast his ballot at 10.28am. People's Renaissance Party candidate Timothy Kariuki, who arrived on a donkey, voted at Kieni Polling Station at 11.26am.
The candidates commended the IEBC and security agencies for the generally peaceful conduct of the election but raised concerns over slow voting during the morning hours. IEBC officials attributed the delays to low temperatures, which affected the ability of the Kenya Integrated Election Management System (KIEMS) kits to capture voters' fingerprints quickly. The challenge was compounded by the high number of elderly voters, many of whom required assistance during identification and voting.
Mr Nyaga claimed that a vehicle transporting his polling agents was torched on Wednesday night. However, Central Regional Commissioner Joshua Nkanatha said no such incident had been reported to police.
Mr Ngotho, for his part, accused some IEBC officials of briefly delaying the accreditation of his polling agents by demanding national identity cards, which he argued were not a legal requirement. He said the matter was resolved after consultations with election officials.
He also defended the presence of youths controlling access to polling stations, saying they were helping prevent unnecessary vehicle traffic.
"Votes are cast by people, not vehicles," he said.
Despite the isolated complaints, all the candidates appealed to voters to maintain peace and pledged to accept the outcome, provided the electoral process remained free, fair and credible through to the tallying stage.
