The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has clinched the Malava parliamentary seat after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) declared David Ndakwa the winner of Thursday’s by-election.
Ndakwa was officially announced MP-elect on Friday, November 28, after securing 21,564 votes, narrowly edging out DAP-Kenya’s Seth Panyako, who posted 20,210 votes. Kenya Moja candidate Wilberforce Indai trailed in third position with 626 votes.
The tightly contested mini-poll was conducted across 198 polling stations, recording a 46% voter turnout, with 43,675 voters casting their ballots out of 94,417 registered voters.
Tensions briefly rose at the tallying centre moments before the final declaration, when DCP deputy party leader Cleophas Malala who had arrived to monitor Panyako’s results demanded a fresh count in select stations. Malala argued that requesting a recount was within his legal right as a party official monitoring the process.
Despite the objections, Returning Officer Salim Abdalla Salim proceeded with the announcement, confirming Ndakwa’s victory and bringing the high-stakes race to a close.
