Deputy President William Ruto is hurting after he lost the Kibra contest, city lawyer Wahome Thuku has observed.
Ruto was behind the high-spirited campaigns of former footballer McDonald Mariga who vied on the Jubilee Party ticket in last Thursday's poll.
Mariga emerged second with 11,230 votes behind ODM's Imran Okoth who was declared MP elect after he registered 24,636 votes.
According to Thuku, Ruto was in Kibra not just to campaign for the former Harambee Stars international, but to send a message to President Uhuru Kenyatta and his handshake partner Raila Odinga.
"It (Kibra by-election) offered the best moment for him to showcase what he has been holding inside. Ruto was not in Kibra to campaign for Mariga or against Imran, he was there to speak to Uhuru and Raila directly," Thuku wrote on Facebook.
"He used the slum to tell the duo what he feels and what to wait for. It was his boxing ring. Standing on the podium, Ruto was seeing the whole country in front, not just Kibra," he added.
The vocal lawyer said Mariga's defeat left the DP a disappointed and bitter man since he felt like he had lost to Uhuru and Raila.
"And so, he is hurting because in his mind he feels as if he has lost a presidential contest to Uhuru/Raila combination. It's painful."
"Even if Ruto were to miss State House by 100 votes it would still been painful. Especially knowing that the very people eating his money in Kibra were moles and handshake spies. Very painful," Thuku posted.