Veteran legislator Naomi Shaban has conceded defeat in the Taita Taveta MP race.
Ms. Shaban, who has been at the helm of the coastal constituency for 20 years and was seeking to retain her seat on a Jubilee Party ticket, conceded to defeat from her main rival, Wiper Party’s John Bwire Okano.
As of Wednesday morning, Okano was leading based on provisional results and Shaban sent an early congratulatory message to him.
The 58-year-old long-running MP said in a social media message that she had come into terms with Taita Taveta people wanting a new leadership and commended Okano and his team.
“Good people, there is time for everything. Well done team Bwire,” Shaban told her supporters in a message shared on a WhatsApp forum.
The veteran politician added: “Thank you for giving me a chance to serve you for 20 years. My young brother Okano, I congratulate you.”
Okano is a youthful Mombasa-based lawyer and this is his first stab at the parliamentary seat.
Shaban’s entry into the national assembly came in 2002, when she became the first woman MP for Taita Taveta through a Kenya African National Union (KANU) ticket.