DCP leaders warn rivals of bruising battle ahead of Ol Kalou by-election

The Democracy for Citizens Party has raised its campaign tempo in Nyandarua County, with senior leaders vowing to deliver a decisive victory in the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election scheduled for July 16, 2026.

At a rally drawing supporters from across the constituency, DCP deputy leader Cleophas Malala and party secretary general John Methu made clear they intend to wage an aggressive contest. Their candidate, Kamau Ngotho, a former ward Member of County Assembly for Ol Kalou, is being positioned as the vehicle through which the party would earn its first seat in the National Assembly.

Malala, a former Kakamega senator who defected to DCP and has since become one of the party's most prominent public faces, called on rival outfits not to underestimate the party's grassroots reach. He said a coordinated campaign was underway, with volunteers deployed across the constituency's wards to consolidate support ward by ward.

Methu said the party's choice of Ngotho was deliberate. His background as a ward-level legislator, Methu argued, means he understands community concerns ranging from the state of feeder roads and access to clean water to the needs of the area's dairy farming households, a significant economic bloc in Nyandarua.

The Ol Kalou seat fell vacant after the sudden death of the incumbent MP, prompting the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to schedule the poll. The constituency sits in the highlands of Nyandarua County, an area with a mixed political history that has seen fortunes shift between Central Kenya's dominant political formations across successive election cycles.

For DCP, which was founded to offer voters an alternative ahead of 2027, securing the Ol Kalou seat would mark a significant milestone and provide a template for expanding its parliamentary presence in other constituencies.