Newton Karish flags viral poster claiming he has joined DCP after Ol Kalou landslide win
By Steve Ireri, July 17, 2026Benga musician and former Muminji MCA Newton Kariuki Ndwiga, popularly known as Karish, has dismissed as fake a viral poster claiming that he had joined the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) and would vie for the Mbeere North parliamentary seat under the party’s ticket following DCP’s landslide victory in the Ol Kalou by-election.
In a statement shared on his official Facebook page on Friday, July 17, 2026, Karish urged his supporters to disregard the poster, saying it was being circulated by his political rivals and did not reflect his official position.
“My good people of Embu County at large, I have noted with a lot of concern a photo being circulated by our enemies. Please treat it as fake. At the right time, we will issue the official directions here. Thank you,” Karish wrote.
The viral poster, which had a large red “FAKE” stamp added to it by Karish, bore the DCP logo and the slogan “Skiza Wakenya.”
It further claimed that after the Ol Kalou by-election, Karish would contest the Mbeere North parliamentary seat on a DCP ticket.
“DCP. Listen, Kenyans. After the Ol Kalou by-election, I will vie for the Mbeere North MP seat on a DCP ticket. Newton Karish,” the fake poster read.
DCP’s emphatic victory
The circulation of the poster came in the wake of DCP’s emphatic victory in the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, where the party’s candidate, Sammy Douglas Kamau Waweru Ngotho, defeated United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate Samuel Muchina Nyagah by a wide margin.
According to official results announced by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on Friday morning, Ngotho secured 35,440 votes against Muchina’s 5,450 votes, in a result widely interpreted as a major political boost for former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and his allies in the Mt. Kenya region.
The Ol Kalou contest attracted national attention as a proxy political battle between forces aligned to President William Ruto’s UDA and those allied to Gachagua’s DCP.
The scale of the DCP victory has fuelled speculation about possible political realignments in the Mt. Kenya region ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Benga artiste
He previously served as the Member of County Assembly (MCA) for Muminji Ward before contesting the Mbeere North parliamentary seat in the 2025 by-election.
The Mbeere North race was one of the most closely contested by-elections in recent years, with Karish, running on a Democratic Party (DP) ticket, narrowly losing to United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate Leonard Wa Muthende Njeru.
Official results showed Muthende garnered 15,802 votes against Karish’s 15,308, a margin of just 494 votes.
Following the defeat, Karish challenged the outcome in court, arguing that there were irregularities in the election process. However, in May 2026, the Embu High Court dismissed his petition and upheld Muthende’s election.