UDA’s poor showing in the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election was driven by mistakes made on the ground, with Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss Shollei saying the party failed to tailor its campaign to the realities and expectations of Nyandarua voters.
Speaking on Radio Generation on Tuesday, Shollei rejected the idea that the result was a verdict on President William Ruto, instead pointing to weaknesses in the way UDA organised and conducted its campaign.
“I think Ol Kalou was not a referendum against William Ruto,” Shollei said. “What happened in Ol Kalou was a mismanaged campaign by our own team members.”
She said the party approached the contest with a general strategy that did not take into account the different needs of voters. According to Shollei, campaign teams distributed gas cylinders, mattresses, blankets and cash without first finding out who needed what.
She described the election as “a textbook on how not to run elections and how not to run a campaign”, saying political mobilisation goes beyond providing material support to voters.
“People don't remember what you did for them. They remember how you made them feel,” she said.
The remarks came after DCP candidate Sammy Douglas Kamau Waweru secured the Ol Kalou seat in the July 16, 2026 by-election, which followed the death of former MP David Kiaraho.
Waweru won with 35,440 votes, giving DCP a wide lead over UDA candidate Samuel Muchina Nyagah, who received 5,450 votes.
Jubilee's Wilson Mwaniki Kigwa finished third with 198 votes, while Stephen Wanyoike Waithaka of the National Liberal Party polled 103 votes.
Timothy Kamau Kariuki of the People's Movement secured 51 votes, followed by Edwin Kariiri Muchiri of the Party of National Unity with 28.
Abdifatah Hussein Abdullahi of the Federal Party of Kenya received 19 votes, Edward Mathenge Mwaniki of the Kenya Moja Movement got 16, while Rachael Wangui Njoroge of the People's Democratic Party received 11 votes.
Shollei said one of UDA’s biggest errors was treating voters as though they had similar needs, particularly when distributing items during the campaign.
“Not everybody is interested in a gas cylinder,” she said.
She explained that gas cylinders can be useful when given to people whose livelihoods depend on them, citing her previous efforts where she targeted women operating small food businesses.
Her argument, she said, also applied to the distribution of mattresses and blankets, which she believed should have been directed to families facing particular problems rather than given out without proper targeting.
Shollei pointed to households dealing with bedbugs as an example of people who could have had a clear need for such assistance.
“But this giving one size fits all, it was not good,” she said.
The Deputy Speaker also raised concerns about how cash was handed out during the campaign, saying some residents received money in crowded environments that did not give them the dignity they deserved.
“Why would you give people money in such an undignified way? You're insulting them because those people have pride,” she said.
Shollei also blamed UDA’s campaign structure for failing to make enough use of politicians from Nyandarua.
She questioned the decision to bring political operatives from outside the county to coordinate the campaign, arguing that local leaders are more familiar with the concerns and political sensitivities of their communities.
“You should use the locals,” she said. “Let the locals manage their own elections because that's how they are sensitive.”
She said DCP adopted a more locally driven strategy, with politicians from the area playing a central role in its campaign.
According to Shollei, that difference helped DCP connect better with voters and ultimately secure the seat.
“And that's where DCP beat us,” she said.