Former Naivasha MP John Kihagi caused a major upset after beating incumbent Jayne Kihara in the hotly contested United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party primaries.
Mr Kihagi garnered 10,394 votes against Mrs Kihara’s 9,991.
At one point, a heated argument arose, with Mrs Kihara questioning the late arrival of some ballot boxes and claiming “they had been tampered with”.
Calm was restored moments later, with Mr Kihagi declared winner, sending his supporters into delirium.
Soon after the announcement, he extended an olive branch to Mrs Kihara, saying he was ready to work with her.
“I stood here five years ago after losing the Jubilee nominations and conceded defeat … I urge my worthy competitor to do the same for the sake of the party’s unity,” he said.
He promised to hit the ground running and ensure UDA wins the Naivasha parliamentary seat in the August polls.
“Many had written us off but I am happy we have pulled a surprise,” he said.
It took more than eight hours for the official results to be announced, with officials releasing the outcome at around 7.30am.
Mrs Kihara was expected to easily clinch the nomination, given her pedigree and the fact that she was among the politicians supporting Deputy President William Ruto.
She got the DP to tour the constituency last month as she sought to solidify her political base.
Few thought Mr Kihagi would win, with Mrs Kihara going full throttle in popularising the “new” political outfit, UDA.
In the race for the Senate seat, Keroche founder Tabitha Karanja had a smooth sail, beating her opponents hands down.
The first-time politician received 16,680 votes against her closest challenger Daniel Mahiri’s 1,674.
Mrs Karanja had earlier expressed confidence she would beat her opponents, especially in her Naivasha backyard.
“I had done my homework well…,” she said. BY DAILY NATION