Leo Wa Muthende Looks Back on His Narrow Mbeere North Win
“That moment meant everything to me,” he said. “Taking the oath before the people and before God gave me clarity on the duty, I now carry with me.
UDA candidate Leo Wa Muthende. Photo/Courtesy
By Ruth Sang
UDA candidate Leo Wa Muthende has come out openly about his razor-thin victory in the Mbeere North by-election, held on November 27, 2025, a contest that caught the nation’s attention due to its thin margin of victory and high-intensity campaigns.
The race, which was largely considered a two-man contest between Muthende of the United Democratic Alliance and Newton Karish of the Democratic Congress Party, was won by Muthende after gaining 15,802 votes. Karish followed him with 15,308 votes, a margin of less than 500 ballots.
Speaking after his swearing-in, Muthende reflected on the outcome, insisting that the narrow margin did not reflect his actual support base. He attributed the tight race to the nature of by-elections that usually attract lower voter turnout with heightened political tension.
“If this contest had taken place during a general election, I believe the numbers would have told a very different story,”He said. “The turnout in a by-election is always low, and that makes races appear closer than they really are. In a full election cycle, I am confident the gap would have been much wider.”
Despite exuding confidence, Muthende let on that the campaign period came with emotional strain, especially for the family. As much as he has grown used to the rough-and-tumble world of politics, he says his loved ones find the barrage of rumours, negative propaganda, and online attacks unbearable.
“I have been in public life long enough to develop resilience,” he explained. “But my biggest pain was watching my family deal with the constant negativity. It affected them more deeply than I expected.”
He rejected claims by opponents that the election was rigged, saying such charges were unsupported and only an effort to deny his legitimacy. What resonated particularly with him, he said, was not the noise surrounding the election but the solemnity of taking office.
Wamuthende described the moment he took the oath-hand on the Bible, pledging to serve the people of Mbeere North-as profoundly moving. It was, he noted, a reminder of the responsibility that comes with leadership and the trust placed in him by the electorate.
“That moment meant everything to me,” he said. “Taking the oath before the people and before God gave me clarity on the duty, I now carry with me.
He called on the public to continue participating in the governance of the country and holding the leadership accountable even as he reiterated that elections are not an end but a means by which Kenyans determine their future. “My message to Kenyans is simple: think beyond elections and focus on holding the government accountable. That is how we build a better country,” he said.
About Author
