Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has officially gazetted Thursday, February 26, 2026, as the date for crucial by-elections that will fill the vacant Isiolo South National Assembly seat and wards across the country.
The announcement marks another significant moment in Kenya’s evolving democratic practice of replacing fallen leaders, with the Isiolo South contest already shaping up to be one of the rare instances where community consensus could deliver an unopposed parliamentary succession.
The Isiolo South constituency fell vacant following the sudden death of longtime Member of Parliament Mohamed Tubi on November 12, 2025.
Tubi, a respected figure in the arid county’s political landscape, had represented the area for several terms and was widely credited with championing pastoralist rights and cross-clan harmony.
His passing triggered an immediate outpouring of grief across Isiolo and sparked intense behind-the-scenes consultations among community elders, religious leaders, and political stakeholders.
In a development that has captivated political observers nationwide, elders from the two dominant voting blocs in Isiolo South—the Borana and Sakuye communities—have unanimously thrown their weight behind the late MP’s son, Mohamed Tubi Junior (popularly known as Tubi Junior).
The endorsement, reached after days of traditional deliberations under acacia trees and in local manyattas, effectively signals that the younger Tubi enjoys near-total grassroots backing.
As of now, no aspirant from any political formation has publicly declared interest in challenging him, raising the real prospect of the constituency returning its next legislator without a single vote being cast.
Should no candidate obtain nomination papers and submit them by the deadline set by the IEBC, the commission is empowered under the Elections Act to declare Tubi Junior the winner by acclamation.
He would then be gazetted as the substantive Member of Parliament and sworn in at Parliament Buildings in Nairobi, allowing him to immediately take up legislative duties on behalf of Isiolo South residents.
Such an outcome would mirror the 2019 Garissa Township by-election, where Abdul Hajji succeeded his late father, Senator Yusuf Haji, after the Somali clan structure similarly rallied behind the younger Hajji, resulting in an unopposed declaration.
While Isiolo South appears headed for a seamless, consensus-driven transition, electoral activity is expected to be far more competitive in the three MCA wards also scheduled for polling on the same date.
Vacancies have arisen in Muminji Ward (Kirinyaga County), Evurore Ward (Mbeere North, Embu County), and West Kabras Ward (Malava Constituency, Kakamega County).
Aspiring ward representatives have already begun grassroots campaigns, with party primaries and independent candidatures likely to produce crowded ballot papers in these smaller but fiercely contested electoral units.
IEBC Chairperson urged eligible voters in all four affected areas to take advantage of the ongoing voter registration and transfer exercise to ensure they can participate.
“Democracy thrives when citizens are fully enlisted in the voters’ roll,” IEBC Chair emphasized, adding that verification centers have been deployed across the constituencies to assist residents in confirming or updating their details before the register closes ahead of nomination week.
Political analysts note that the Isiolo South scenario underscores the enduring influence of clan and community elders in parts of northern and eastern Kenya, where electoral politics often intersect with customary governance structures.
For the Tubi family, the transition represents both a poignant continuation of legacy and a testament to the late MP’s decades-long efforts to bridge traditional leadership with modern legislative representation.
As February 26 approaches, all eyes will remain fixed on Isiolo South. If community unity holds and no last-minute challenger emerges, Kenya will witness only the latest chapter in a rare but not unprecedented democratic tradition—one where ballots give way to barazas, and succession is settled not in polling stations, but beneath the shade of age-old consensus.
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