The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) of prime minister Raila Odinga took three seats and the Party of National Unity (PNU) of president Mwai Kibaki took two seats in the parliamentary by-elections on 11 June.

ODM won Ainamoi, Wajir North and Emuhaya, all in western Kenya, while PNU clinched the Rift Valley town of Kilgoris and Embakasi in Nairobi, formerly an ODM stronghold.

Embakasi and Ainamoi were left empty after their respective MPs Melitus Mugabe Were and David Kimutai Too, both of ODM, were shot dead in late January. Emuhaya became vacant when its elected MP Kenneth Marende of ODM resigned to become speaker of parliament. The other two were undeclared following the December 2007 general elections.

The by-election results give PNU and affiliate parties 104 seats and ODM 103 seats out of a total of 210 elected seats in parliament. Of the three remaining empty seats, one, representing the Kamukunji constituency, has been vacant since the elections and two, both held by ODM, became empty following the death of roads minister Kipkalya Kones and assistant home affairs minister Lorna Lanoso in a plane crash on 10 June.

PNU and ODM are members of a fragile power-sharing government that was cobbled together to resolve the deadlock sparked by the disputed presidential poll. Roughly 1,500 people died in political unrest in various parts of the country and an estimated 350,000 were displaced from their homes.

The turnout for the by-elections is reported to have been low and voting was largely peaceful.

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