Lenku retains Kajiado seat, Ndiritu Muriithi loses Laikipia governorship

Kajiado Governor Joseph Ole Lenku overcame stiff competition from UDA's Katoo Ole Metito and Jubilee's David Nkedianye to defend his seat.

Lenku, who vied on ODM ticket, got 117,600 votes. His closest rival, Ole Metito, got 111,725 votes, while Kajiado's first governor David Nkedianye got 75,337 votes.

Peter Kago, an independent candidate, came fourth with 2,661 votes.

Lenku was first elected as Governor of Kajiado County in 2017 on Jubilee Party ticket.

In March 2022, he decamped to ODM ahead of the August 9 polls.

Elsewhere, in Laikipia County, the area governor, Ndiritu Muriithi, lost the seat to UDA's Joshua Irungu in the just-concluded polls.

Muriithi, who ran on Jubilee Party ticket, got 37,905 votes against Irungu's 80,849.

Irungu served as the first Governor of Laikipia County between 2013 and 2017.

In the August 8, 2017 General Election, he lost to Ndiritu Muriithi, an independent candidate. At the time, Irungu was in Jubilee Party.

Muriithi polled 100,356 votes in the 2017 election, while Irungu got 98,349 votes.