The MCA Landscape: 1,448 Wards, 41 Parties, and the Most Diverse Political Arena

At the ward level, 41 different parties won seats. This is where Kenya's political diversity truly lives.

When people talk about Kenyan elections, they usually mean the presidential race. Or maybe the governors. But the real action — the most competitive, most diverse, most unpredictable contest — happens at the ward level. In 2017, 1,448 Members of County Assembly (MCAs) were elected across Kenya's 47 counties. And 41 different political parties won at least one seat.

That is nearly double the 21 parties that won National Assembly seats. At the ward level, Kenya's political fragmentation is on full display.

The Big Picture: Who Won the Most Wards?

The top seven parties accounted for 1,244 of 1,448 seats (85.9%). But the remaining 204 seats were spread across 34 additional parties, each with between 1 and 27 seats.

The full top 10:

1. Jubilee Party: 582 seats (40.2%)
2. Orange Democratic Movement: 339 seats (23.4%)
3. Independent Candidates: 109 seats (7.5%)
4. Wiper Democratic Movement: 84 seats (5.8%)
5. Amani National Congress: 47 seats (3.2%)
6. Forum for Restoration of Democracy-Kenya: 46 seats (3.2%)
7. Kenya African National Union: 37 seats (2.6%)
8. Party of National Unity: 27 seats (1.9%)
9. Maendeleo Chap Chap Party: 22 seats (1.5%)
10. Economic Freedom Party: 17 seats (1.2%)

All 41 Parties: The Full Breakdown

The IEBC recorded winners from 41 different parties. This is remarkable diversity. Here is every party that won at least one MCA seat in 2017:

Below the top 10, the parties that won between 3 and 14 seats included:

• Party for Development and Reform: 14 seats
• National Rainbow Coalition-Kenya: 13 seats
• National Rainbow Coalition: 12 seats
• Chama Cha Mashinani: 11 seats
• Muungano Party: 11 seats
• Kenya Patriots Party: 8 seats
• Progressive Party of Kenya: 7 seats
• Peoples Democratic Party: 6 seats
• Frontier Alliance Party: 5 seats
• KADU-Asili: 5 seats
• United Democratic Party: 5 seats
• Democratic Party of Kenya: 4 seats
• Labour Party of Kenya: 4 seats
• Federal Party of Kenya: 3 seats
• Kenya National Congress: 3 seats
• Kenya Social Congress: 3 seats
• The National Vision Party: 3 seats

And 14 parties won just 1 or 2 seats each: Democratic Congress (2), Mazingira Greens (2), New Democrats (2), Party of Independent Candidates (2), Peoples Trust Party (2), Social Democratic Party (2), Party of Democratic Unity (2), Agano (1), Chama Cha Uzalendo (1), Devolution Party (1), Diligence Development Alliance (1), Peoples Party of Kenya (1), Restore and Build Kenya (1), and Safina (1).

Why So Many Parties at the Ward Level?

Three factors explain the extreme party diversity at the MCA level:

1. Local politics are personal. Ward races are often decided by the candidate's personal reputation, clan ties, and community service record. Party affiliation matters less when voters know the candidate personally.
2. Major parties have limited slots. When Jubilee or ODM nomination contests are too competitive, losing aspirants switch to minor party tickets. This explains why parties like KANU (37 seats), PNU (27 seats), and Maendeleo Chap Chap (22 seats) performed well — they absorbed candidates rejected by the major parties.
3. Ward races have lower barriers. The cost of running for MCA is lower than for MP or governor. This makes it feasible for candidates on minor party tickets or as independents to compete. With 109 independent winners, going it alone is a viable strategy at this level.

Jubilee vs ODM: The Core Contest

While 41 parties won seats, the real contest was between Jubilee and ODM. Together, they controlled 921 of 1,448 seats (63.6%). Jubilee's 582 wards were concentrated in Central Kenya, Rift Valley, Eastern, and parts of North Eastern. ODM's 339 wards were in Nyanza, Western, Coast, and parts of Nairobi.

The ratio of Jubilee to ODM seats was 1.72:1 — meaning for every ODM MCA, Jubilee had nearly two. This mirrors the presidential result, where Kenyatta's 54.27% was roughly 1.21 times Odinga's 44.74%. Jubilee's advantage was even more pronounced at the ward level than at the presidential level.

The Independent Success Story

With 109 MCA seats, independent candidates were the third-largest "party" in county assemblies. These were candidates who either lost party nominations or deliberately chose to run outside the party system. Their success rate varied by county, but the message was clear: at the ward level, voters will support a strong local candidate regardless of party.

Read more about independent candidates across all positions: Independent Candidates: 4,002 Ran in 2017, Only 125 Won.

MCA vs MP: Comparing Party Performance

The difference between MCA and MP results is striking:

The pattern is clear: the lower the office, the more parties compete and the more independents win. County assemblies are the frontier of Kenyan political diversity.

Key Takeaways

1. 41 parties won MCA seats — nearly double the 21 that won MP seats
2. Jubilee dominated with 582 seats but controlled only 40.2%, not a majority
3. ODM held 339 seats — a strong second place with 23.4%
4. 109 independents won — the third-largest block in county assemblies
5. 14 parties won just 1 or 2 seats — showing extreme fragmentation
6. Ward-level politics is where Kenya's multi-party democracy is most alive

For a comparison with parliamentary seats, see: How Jubilee Won 140 of 289 MP Seats.

Monitor 1,448 ward races in real time. Votrack provides county assembly results tracking alongside all other positions. Know which parties are winning in your county before the official declaration. Request a demo.