By: Jackson Ngari
Screenshot of the TikTok video falsely claiming that Citizen TV had declared Sammy Douglas Kamau the MP-elect for Ol Kalou Constituency while voting was still underway.
Before polling stations in Ol Kalou had closed and before election officials had declared a winner, a TikTok video claiming that Citizen TV had announced Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) candidate Sammy Douglas Kamau as the constituency’s MP-elect began gaining traction online.
The video, which had garnered 2,764 likes, 77 comments, 141 saves, 26 shares, and over 150k views at the time of review, featured a breaking news banner reading:
“SAMMY DOUGLAS KAMAU IS THE MP ELECT, OLKALAU CONSTITUENCY.”
However, voting in the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election was still ongoing, and no winner had been officially declared by either the Returning Officer or the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
BACKGROUND
The claim emerged during the July 16, 2026 Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election in Nyandarua County.
Under Kenyan electoral procedures, a parliamentary candidate can only become MP-elect after polling closes, ballots are counted, results are tallied and verified, and the Returning Officer formally declares a winner.
Election periods often witness the circulation of manipulated graphics, fabricated declarations and misleading projections that seek to influence public perception and confidence in the electoral process.
VERIFICATION
Piga Firimbi reviewed the TikTok video and established that it used what appeared to be Citizen TV footage overlaid with a breaking news banner declaring Sammy Douglas Kamau the winner.
However, at the time the video circulated, polling in Ol Kalou was still underway and tallying had not commenced.
Further checks on official IEBC communication channels and media reports found no declaration naming Sammy Douglas Kamau as MP-elect at that point.
The use of the term ‘MP-elect’ was therefore premature because no candidate can legally assume that status before completion of the electoral process and official declaration of results.
Piga Firimbi also established that the image used in the viral TikTok video was not from the Ol Kalou by-election coverage but from a Citizen TV broadcast aired approximately a year ago during anti-government protests, when the government directed television stations to suspend live broadcasts of the demonstrations. The “Breaking News” ticker and the declaration of Sammy Douglas Kamau as MP-elect were added later and were not part of the original broadcast.
Additionally, Piga Firimbi identified multiple TikTok accounts sharing the same purported Citizen TV image and identical “Breaking News” banner, including Account A, Account B and Account C. The repeated appearance of the same altered image across different accounts suggests that the manipulated graphic was being recirculated on the platform rather than originating from an authentic Citizen TV broadcast.
VERDICT
The claim that Sammy Douglas Kamau had already been declared the MP-elect for Ol Kalou Constituency while voting was still ongoing is FALSE.
At the time the video circulated, no official declaration had been made by either the constituency Returning Officer or the IEBC.
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