Rights activist Okiya Omtatah was declared Senator-elect in Busia after garnering 171,681 votes.
Omatatah was vying on little-known the National Reconstruction Alliance (NRA) and defeated ODM’s Hillary Itela who garnered 59,276 votes.
However, Omtatah's win was not a walk in the park; he defied the dominance of ODM in the county,
The senator-elect quickly thanked his supporters for rallying behind him, adding that he was looking forward to hitting the ground running.
"Thank you, Busia. I am deeply humbled by your immense support and overwhelming show of confidence.
"We have a lot of work ahead of us, but I am ready and excited to work for you. Thank you for this tremendous honor," he stated on his social media.
Omtatah, who is not a lawyer by profession, has earned himself the role of being one of the country’s public defenders.
Through his time as an activist, he has filed some of memorable public interest cases that have shaped both the economy and the political landscape in the country.
Some of the cases have seen him rub shoulders with law enforcement and even the government, leading to his arrest.
One of his main victories was when he won an 8-year court battle to recover over 800 acres of government land in Busia County.
In the same County, Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) candidate Paul Otuoma was declared the winner in the gubernatorial race.
Otuoma clinched the seat after getting 164,478 votes with Amani National Congress (ANC) candidate John Sakwa coming second with 92,144 votes.
The former Minister unsuccessfully vied in 2017, losing to the then incumbent Sospter Ojaamong, who ended up serving a second and final term.
