How Joining DCP Jinxed Kenga By Losing To ODM’s Kombe by 21 votes in 2022 and by 9,002 votes in 2025

A political gamble meant to revive Stanley Kenga’s career has instead wrecked it, after he suffered a devastating defeat in the Magarini by-election three years after losing the same seat by only 21 votes.

Harrison Garama Kombe of ODM reclaimed the Magarini seat with 17,909 votes in the November 27, 2025 poll. His closest challenger, Kenga, managed 8,907.

The gap was wide, humiliating and a complete reversal from the razor-thin 2022 race.

In the August 2022 general election, Magarini produced one of the closest contests in the country.

Kombe won with 11,946 votes against Kenga’s 11,925. The narrow difference pushed Kenga into a lengthy legal fight that lasted nearly two years.

The petition journey moved from the High Court to the Court of Appeal and finally to the Supreme Court. High Court Judge Alfred Mabeya nullified Kombe’s win after finding irregularities in the tallies and voter registers. The Court of Appeal agreed with the decision.

In May 2024, the Supreme Court settled the matter by upholding the nullification.

The judges held that the 2022 poll had suffered violations that compromised its integrity. Magarini was sent back to the electorate for a fresh vote.

Between that ruling and the by-election, Kenga made the decision that would cost him his political lifeline.

After contesting under UDA in 2022, he lost the party’s support when it stepped out of the Magarini race and backed ODM as part of coalition negotiations.

Kenga turned to the Democracy for Citizens Party, led by Rigathi Gachagua. The move placed him at odds with the political mood in the Coast region. DCP has little presence in Kilifi and its national profile is built on confrontations with President William Ruto and ODM.

Stanley Kenga campaign poster

For Magarini voters, the party shift looked like a betrayal of the coalition that had supported Kenga earlier. It also weakened his campaign networks, which had previously drawn strength from UDA’s structures.

ODM, on the other hand, activated a full ground operation.

Kombe spent the petition years rebuilding ward-level units, meeting local clusters and reminding voters that the nullification was a legal technicality rather than a rejection.

The party deployed senior figures and revived its grassroots energy in the Coast.

By-election day confirmed the political mood.

The man who once trailed Kombe by only 21 votes now faced a 9,002-vote defeat.

Kenga’s campaign could not match ODM’s organisational strength or the personal connection Kombe had established during the prolonged legal battle.

Analysts say the result shows how quickly fortunes can change when a candidate loses political alignment with the region.

They point to voter fatigue with the petition saga, Kombe’s stronger local network and ODM’s deep roots in the Coast.

For Kenga, the outcome is a harsh reminder that party identity still carries enormous weight in Kilifi.

For DCP, Magarini exposes the limits of national political theatrics in regions where voters prioritise stability and familiarity.

As Kombe prepares to return to Parliament, the by-election will likely be studied as a lesson in strategy, grassroots work and the consequences of misreading local politics.