Ali Sheikh
Garissa.
Hassan Aden Kolosh of Ford-Kenya has reclaimed the Fafi Ward seat, securing 1,415 votes and defeating his closest competitor, Diriye Ibrahim of UDA, by a margin of more than 500 votes. The by-election followed the nullification of his 2022 victory by the courts.
As of press time, IEBC officials were awaiting the physical submission of Form 36As from Diiso Polling Station—results that had already been tallied and announced at the station but were not expected to alter the significant gap between Kolosh and his nearest rival.
Kolosh’s earlier win was overturned after serving approximately one year as MCA, following a successful petition filed by ODM’s Feisal Gedi. Gedi finished third in the just-concluded by-election.
“My victory had been quashed, and we waited a long time for the formal reconstitution of the IEBC to conduct this poll. Today, this victory vindicates us. It is now time to serve the people of Fafi Ward,” Kolosh said.
Kolosh’s campaign received a significant boost from a high-profile rally led by Ford Kenya Party Leader and National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula, Fafi MP Salah Yakub, and Mohamed Abdi Shalle, Legal Advisor in the Office of the Speaker of the National Assembly. The trio urged residents to turn out and vote for Kolosh, energizing his base in the final stretch of the campaign.
The by-election was marked by notable voter apathy in a ward that has lacked representation in the Garissa County Assembly for more than two years. Out of 7,050 registered voters, approximately 3,200 cast their ballots.
Fafi Ward was among 24 electoral units across the country where by-elections were held on November 27.