2022 Kenyan presidential election in Mount Kenya Region
9 August 2022
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| Registered | 5,769,976 [1] | ||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 66.7% (3,846,718) | ||||||||||||||||
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Constituency-level results in Mount Kenya region
William Ruto
Raila Odinga | |||||||||||||||||
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The Mount Kenya region played a pivotal role in shaping the outcome of Kenya's 2022 presidential election. Comprising 10 ten counties, it had approximately 5.7 million registered voters which is about 27% of Kenya's national registered voters.William Ruto won largely in the region with 2,938,802 votes (76.96%), outstripping Raila Odinga’s 847,205 votes (22.19%).[2] Ruto's strongest performance was in Tharaka-Nithi (89.18 %), and even in traditionally more competitive Nakuru, he secured 65.90% against Odinga's 32.69%. Turnout ranged from 65% in Laikipia to 70% in Tharaka-Nithi County. This overwhelming bloc support, delivering nearly 3 million votes, was crucial in tipping the national result in Ruto's favor.[3]
Results
| Metric | Total |
|---|---|
| Total Valid Votes | 3,818,286 |
| Rejected Votes | 28,432 |
| Total Votes Cast | 3,846,718 |
William Samoei Ruto won largely in mount kenya region defeating Raila Odinga with about 77% of the votes cast while Odinga garnered about 22% of the votes cast. George Wajackoyah and David Mwaure garnered each less than 0.5% of the total votes.
| Candidate | Total Votes | Percentage of Valid Votes |
|---|---|---|
| RUTO WILLIAM SAMOEI | 2,938,802 | 76.96% |
| ODINGA RAILA | 847,205 | 22.19% |
| WAJACKOYAH GEORGE LUCHIRI | 17,613 | 0.46% |
| WAHIGA DAVID MWAURE | 12,066 | 0.32% |
Results by county
William Ruto won largely in Mount Kenya East region especially in Tharaka-Nithi County and Embu County, while Raila Odinga secured most of his votes in Mount Kenya west due to diversity and urbanization.[2]
| County | RUTO | ODINGA | MWAURE | WAJACKOYAH |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Kenya | 76.96% | 22.19% | 0.32% | 0.46% |
| THARAKA - NITHI | 89.77% | 9.32% | 0.29% | 0.60% |
| EMBU | 85.04% | 14.12% | 0.24% | 0.60% |
| KIRINYAGA | 84.70% | 14.53% | 0.25% | 0.52% |
| NYERI | 83.37% | 15.92% | 0.30% | 0.41% |
| MURANGA | 81.68% | 17.49% | 0.36% | 0.46% |
| MERU | 78.77% | 20.47% | 0.21% | 0.55% |
| NYANDARUA | 78.76% | 20.46% | 0.34% | 0.44% |
| KIAMBU | 73.49% | 25.52% | 0.46% | 0.55% |
| LAIKIPIA | 70.46% | 28.93% | 0.26% | 0.36% |
| NAKURU | 66.44% | 32.94% | 0.27% | 0.35% |
Voter turnout
| County Name | Registered Voters | Voter turnout (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Mount Kenya Totals | 5,769,976 | 66.67% |
| THARAKA - NITHI | 231,932 | 70.09% |
| KIRINYAGA | 376,001 | 69.87% |
| NYERI | 481,632 | 68.34% |
| MURANG'A | 620,929 | 68.11% |
| NYANDARUA | 361,165 | 67.07% |
| EMBU | 334,302 | 66.69% |
| MERU | 772,139 | 66.22% |
| NAKURU | 1,054,856 | 65.57% |
| KIAMBU | 1,275,008 | 65.16% |
| LAIKIPIA | 263,012 | 64.80% |
Historical voting patterns
The Mount Kenya region has historically played a significant role in shaping Kenya's electoral outcomes due to its large voter population and economic influence. Since the advent of multiparty democracy in the early 1990s, the region has consistently demonstrated strong bloc voting tendencies, often rallying behind candidates with ethnic or political affiliations to the Kikuyu community—the dominant ethnic group in the area. In the 1992 and 1997 general elections, the region was largely aligned with the Democratic Party under Mwai Kibaki, who hailed from the area. This trend intensified during the 2002 election when Kibaki secured a landslide victory through the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), backed overwhelmingly by Mount Kenya voters. In subsequent elections, particularly in 2007, 2013, and 2017, the region remained steadfast in support of Kibaki's successor, Uhuru Kenyatta, consolidating its reputation as a politically cohesive voting bloc.
Despite the unified support seen in previous elections, the 2022 general election marked a notable shift in the region's political dynamics. The absence of a dominant local presidential candidate led to an unprecedented fragmentation in voter behavior. While a significant portion of the electorate supported William Ruto of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), others leaned towards Raila Odinga of the Azimio la Umoja coalition, reflecting growing generational and ideological differences within the electorate. Though Ruto ultimately garnered a majority in the region, the reduced margin of victory compared to previous elections signaled a waning of traditional ethnic-based voting patterns and suggested an evolving political consciousness among Mount Kenya voters.
Comparative analysis
| County | 2013 Jubilee (%) | 2017 Jubilee (%) | 2022 UDA (%) | Δ (2017→2022) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nyeri | 97.4 | 98.5 | 82.97 | –15.53 |
| Kirinyaga | 95.8 | 98.1 | 84.08 | –14.02 |
| Murang’a | 96.7 | 97.8 | 81.19 | –16.61 |
| Kiambu | 94.1 | 95.3 | 72.99 | –22.31 |
| Meru | 96.2 | 97.0 | 80.87 | –16.13 |
| Tharaka-Nithi | 97.0 | 98.0 | 89.18 | –8.82 |
| Embu | 96.5 | 97.5 | 84.34 | –13.16 |
See also
- 2022 Kenyan general election
- 2022 Kenyan presidential election in Nairobi City
- Mount Kenya region
- William Ruto
- Raila Odinga
- Politics of Kenya
References
- ^ "Population of Registered Voters in Kenya by County" (PDF). IEBC. Retrieved 2025-08-08.
- ^ a b "2022 Kenya Presidential Election by County". Equal Politics. Retrieved 2025-08-08.
- ^ "2022 Kenya general Election and voter turnout". Statskenya. Retrieved 2025-08-08.