Wafula Wakoli, Ford Kenya’s candidate in the recently concluded Bungoma Senatorial by-elections, has won the race to succeed National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula.
Wakoli received 64,009 votes, while Mwambu Mabonga of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) received 45,682 votes.
Wafula Wamunyinyi, who ran as Azimio la Umoja’s candidate in the mini-elections, finished in third place with 22,296 votes.
After winning several positions in the August election, Ford Kenya’s victory was yet another manifestation of the party’s firm grip on Bungoma County.
The by-elections were a display of sibling rivalry between the party and its Kenya-Kwanza partner UDA after attempts to field a single candidate failed.
The Azimio la Umoja Coalition, led by opposition chief Raila Odinga, had resorted on Wafula Wamunyinyi’s experience in regional politics to secure the seat.
The seat became vacant after Speaker Moses Wetangula resigned in September 2022 to run for Speaker.
The by-election on Thursday was marred by a low voter turnout in the 1,373 polling stations dispersed across the nine constituencies.
Only a small portion of the 646,612 registered voters in Bungoma County showed up at the polls to cast their ballots.
