Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party extended its dominance in Western Kenya region by winning majority seats across the board.
Apart from bagging the governorship in Vihiga, Busia and Trans Nzoia, the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition has also dominated the majority of elective seats at both National Assembly and Member of County Assemblies positions.
In Kakamega County, many of the incumbents retained their seats with the party securing 8 of the 12 Member of Parliament seats with two constituencies of Lugari and Likuyani registering new entrants.
MPs in Mumias West, Lurambi, Kwisero, Butere, Matungu, Ikolomani constituencies retained their seats while Lugari and Likuyani constituencies have new kids on the block through the party who are, Innocent Mugabe and Nabii Daraja respectively.
In Ikolomani Constituency, the incumbent Benard Masaka Shinali managed to retain his seat after garnering 24,738 votes against his closest rival Vincent Mukhono of United Democratic Alliance (UDA) who obtained 4,862 votes in an election that saw a voter turnout of 33,317 representing 59.2 percent.
The current Member of Parliament in Matungu, Peter Oscar Nabulindo has also been re-elected after garnering 22,528 votes.
First elected to the August House in March 2021 through a by-election following the death of the then area MP Justus Murunga, Nabulindo staved off competition from eight candidates to bag the seat.
The MP is among Musalia Mudavadi’s ANC party MPs who crossed over to Orange Democratic Party Movement (ODM) after Mudavadi joined Deputy President William Ruto in the Kenya Kwanza coalition.
Butere MP Tindi Mwale, garnered 23,898 votes and retained his seat on an ODM ticket against his closest competitor Habil Nanjendo of ANC who polled 12,597 votes.
Other contenders were Michael Keya (UDA)-930 votes, Ruth Oniang’o (UDP)-1,749 votes, Martha Shikuku (DAP-K)-285 and Valentine Opembe (Jubilee) who obtained 228 votes.
In Lurambi, constituency, the sitting MP Bishop Titus Khamala retained his seat on an ODM ticket after garnering 32,309 votes against his closet rival Timothy Vikiru Bunyali of DAP-K who polled 9,342 votes to come in second position.
In Khwisero constituency, incumbent Christopher Aseka of ODM retained his seat after flooring his main challenger Godfrey Kanoti of ANC by polling 28,156 votes against Kanoti’s 4,673 votes.
Johnson Naicca Manya managed to retain the Mumias West parliamentary seat on an ODM ticket by garnering 15,868 votes against his closest rival, former Sports Minister Mohammed Achesa of UDA who came in second with 11,056 votes.
Naicca was first elected to Parliament during the 2017 August General Election on an ODM ticket.
In Likuyani constituency, a new entrant Innocent Mugabe won the MP’s seat with 17,543, beating the incumbent Dr. Enock Wamalwa Kibunguchy of Ford-K who came in second with 13,382 votes.
Mugabe, a former Mombasa county government Chief Officer was given a direct ticket by the Azimio Coalition, was initially the running mate for ODM governorship candidate in Kakamega but stepped down for the outing Lugari MP Ayub Savula,who now became Fernandez Barasa’s running mate.
In Lugari, Nabii Daraja garnered 23,159 votes to win the seat previously held by Ayub Savula, who was nominated to vie as Deputy Governor to Fernandes Barasa in an election that is slated for August 23, after IEBC discovered anomalies in ballot papers for the gubernatorial race.
Daraja beat his closest rival, Isaac Andabwa of DAP-K who obtained 11,086 votes.
Musalia Mudavadi’s ANC party managed to secure three parliamentary seats of Navakholo, Malava and Shinyalu constituencies, while Eugene Wamalwa’s party, DAP-K bagged one seat of Mumias East.
Shinyalu constituency however has a new Member of Parliament after Fredrick Ikana, running on an ANC ticket trounced the sitting MP Justus Kizito Mugali who came a distant third.
Ikana, making his first stab at politics, garnered 17,533 votes beating his close contender Silvers Lisamula Anami of ODM and also a former MP who polled 11,243 votes. The incumbent MP Justus Kizito Mugali, running on DAP-K only managed a paltry 5,318 votes to come a distant third.
In Navakholo, Emmanuel Wangwe, who was first elected to Parliament in 2017 via Jubilee ticket in 2017, withstood stiff competition from three other candidates and retained the seat.
Wangwe won the seat on an ANC ticket by garnering 23,753 votes. In Mumias East, Peter Kalerwa Salasia of DAP-K won the seat after garnering 12,140 votes against his closest rival David Wamathi of UDA who obtained 9,430 votes.
In Malava constituency, incumbent Moses Malulu Injendi weathered stiff competition from Secretary General of Kenya National Union of Nurses Seth Panyako to retain the seat on ANC ticket.
Injendi garnered 22,891 votes, shaking off stiff competition from Panyako of UDA who obtained 20,133 votes.
Total valid votes cast were 57,378 against registered voters standing at 94,417. Voters in the area complained that they were disenfranchised after KIEMS kits malfunctioned which delayed voting in polling centers by over six hours before IEBC resorted to manual voter registers.
By George Kaiga
