Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua told a local media host on Sunday that he does not believe UDA’s Leo (Leonard) Wamuthende legitimately won the Mbeere North parliamentary seat, insisting instead that musician-turned-politician Newton Kariuki(Newton Karish) won the by-election.
Mr. Gachagua said he would be “very surprised” and “shocked” if Wamuthende’s declared victory stood, repeating his confidence in Karish’s strength in the constituency.
“I would be very much surprised and I would leave here a shocked man if Wamuthende actually won the election. I will be very deep in shock,” he told his host.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) declared Leonard Wa Muthende the MP-elect after provisional results showed him with 15,802 votes against Newton Kariuki’s 15,308 – a margin of just 494 votes. Multiple national outlets and UDA officials celebrated the win for Wamuthende, and the party issued congratulatory statements soon after the declaration.
Newton “Karish” is a well-known Benga musician who successfully parlayed his local popularity into politics; he has served as an MCA and ran on the Democratic Party ticket in the by-election. Karish and his camp have signalled they will pursue legal remedies and have already flagged concerns about the vote, including alleged irregularities and name discrepancies they say affected the outcome.
The United Opposition – which backed Karish in the contest – moved quickly to question the result. Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka announced plans to petition the Mbeere North outcome, saying the coalition would challenge what it describes as a flawed process and insist on accountability. The narrow margin and reports of chaotic scenes in some polling stations have amplified calls for a full review.
Gachagua also sought to manage expectations about his own party’s role after the polls, emphasising that the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) was not the official candidate in that race and downplaying suggestions that the Mbeere North result signals a wider collapse of his influence in Mt. Kenya. Still, his public insistence that Karish won has added to tensions in an already heated post-election environment and sets the scene for a court contest that could take weeks to resolve.