Wycliffe Nyamasege
Feisal Bader is the next Msambweni Member of Parliament, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) declared on Wednesday morning.
Bader, an independent candidate was declared the winner of the Tuesday by-election with 15,251 votes. Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party’s Omar Boga emerged second with 10,444 votes.
“I declare Feisal Abder as the winner and the elected MP for Msambweni Constituency,” said IEBC Returning Officer Yusuf Abubakar.
Wiper party’s Shee Mohamed finished third with 790 votes.
Bader received support from Deputy President William Ruto’s Tanga Tanga camp, while Boga was backed by pro-President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga’s handshake leaders.
Read: Nyali MP Mohammed Ali Accuses Joho Of Assault as Msambweni Mini-poll Turns Dramatic
There is no doubt that Bader’s win will escalate the rivalry between the two camps ahead of the 2022 General Election with Ruto having declared interest in succeeding President Kenyatta.
Ruto and like-minded Jubilee politicians threw their weight behind Bader in September after the party announced that it would not field a candidate in the Msambweni by-election in the interest of the handshake between Raila and President Kenyatta.
While Ruto didn’t travel to Msambweni constituency located in Kwale County to campaign for his favourite candidate, a number of his allied lawmakers camped in the area during the campaign period.
Read Also: Sharlet Mariam Pulls Out Of Msambweni MP Race, Backs ODM’s Boga
Yesterday, the leaders who include MPs Mohamed Ali (Nyali), Oscar Sudi (Kapseret), Nelson Koech (Belgut), nominated senator Millicent Omanga and former Senators Omar Hassan (Mombasa) and Johnstone Muthama (Machakos), watched the voting process closely.
Koech and Muthama were arrested after chaos erupted in some polling stations as the Tanga Tanga lawmakers alleged electoral malpractice.
The Msambweni seat fell vacant following the death of ODM lawmaker Suleiman Dori who succumbed to cancer in March.
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