Wiper Party candidate Agnes Kavindu Muthama has embarrassed her ex-husband Johnson Muthama in the Machakos senate by-election through an emphatic victory on Friday.

Kavindu managed to garner 104,352 votes to beat Urbanus Muthama Ngengele of United Democratic Alliance (UDA), whose chair is former Machakos Senator Johnson Muthama, who got only 19,726 votes.

Only 130,617 voters out of the 623,536 registered in Machakos County cast their ballots in the 1,335 polling stations, with the total votes cast representing a 21 per cent turnout.


Muthama leading campaigns for Ngengele. PHOTO/TWITTER

Read More

  1. Kenya creates special desk to expedite redress for 1998 US embassy bombing
  2. Silvanus Osoro discloses details of ploy Kenya Kwanza used to pass Finance Bill
  3. William Ruto's cabinet approves special committee to tackle pending bills

Other candidates in the race were Mutua Katuku of Maendeleo Chap Chap who got 1,476 votes, Francis Munyambu 1,461, Simeon Kitheka 1,448, Lily Mwanzia 927, John Musingi 687, Nthenge Otto 159, Jonathan Maweu 155, Sebastian Nthama 131 and Stanley Muindi 95.

However, former cabinet minister Katuku, who stood on Machakos governor Alfred Mutua’s MCC party still got votes despite announcing his exit from the by-election days to the poll.

Kalonzo Musyoka and Johnson Muthama. PHOTOS/COURTESY

The landslide win by Kavindu has cemented Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka as the Ukambani political kingpin and warded off the alleged growing influence of Muthama’s UDA in the region, with Muthama's party linked to Deputy President William Ruto.

Kalonzo and Muthama were once political allies but fell out ahead of the 2017 general election leading the latter to pull out of the race, and Kavindu is Muthama's ex-wife whom he chased out of one of his houses after an ugly separation a few years back.

The race also saw Musalia Mudavadi (ANC), Moses Wetangula (Ford Kenya) and Gideon Moi (KANU) rally behind Kalonzo's candidate Kavindu, with Dr Alfred Mutua also withdrawing his candidate Katuku to back her following President Uhuru Kenyatta's intervention. 

The hotly contested Machakos senatorial mini poll held on Thursday, which attracted 11 aspirants, fell vacant following the death of Senator Boniface Kabaka in December last year.