There have been celebrations in the remote village of Chemomul, Bomet county, western Kenya, after Linet Chepkorir was confirmed as winning the election for the county’s women’s representative in parliament.

There was pomp, colour, dancing and tears as the village welcomed her home after her victory.

Alongside the 290 constituency MPs in the National Assembly, each of Kenya’s 47 counties send a women’s representative – and at 24, Ms Chepkorir will be the youngest of these.

In Tuesday’s election she garnered 242,775 votes to beat eight candidates, some of them experienced politicians.

This will be her first ever job.

She comes from a humble background, the third child of Richard and Bety Langat.

Ms Chepkorir said it had been difficult against competitors with deep pockets and estimated she spent only 100,000 Kenyan shillings ($840, £690) during her campaign. She was also helped by well-wishers and friends.

The greatest challenge she faced when she started campaigning was convincing her community and the voters at large. They questioned whether she could do the job as she was not married, had no work experience and lacked money to hand out.

Her message to all girls is “never give up on hope”.

BBC/Simeon Ugbodovon

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