Prime Minister David Cameron had promised to "throw the kitchen sink"
at the Rochester and Strood campaign after the defeat to another former
Tory MP, Douglas Carswell, in Clacton.
UKIP's winning margin was smaller than it was in Clacton, but Mr Reckless still won 42.1% of the 40,113 votes cast.
The declaration, at 04:15 GMT, came later than expected.
Green Party candidate Clive Gregory came fourth with 1,692 votes, and the Liberal Democrats came fifth with 349.
Elections expert Prof John Curtice, from Strathclyde University, said UKIP still faced a challenge to convert its by-election success into seats at the general election.
He said: "It's certainly a very good night for UKIP, and makes life much more difficult for the major parties, but the challenge facing UKIP is clear."
There had been speculation that more MPs would defect to UKIP in the event of a win for Nigel Farage's party.
UKIP's winning margin was smaller than it was in Clacton, but Mr Reckless still won 42.1% of the 40,113 votes cast.
The declaration, at 04:15 GMT, came later than expected.
Green Party candidate Clive Gregory came fourth with 1,692 votes, and the Liberal Democrats came fifth with 349.
Elections expert Prof John Curtice, from Strathclyde University, said UKIP still faced a challenge to convert its by-election success into seats at the general election.
He said: "It's certainly a very good night for UKIP, and makes life much more difficult for the major parties, but the challenge facing UKIP is clear."
There had been speculation that more MPs would defect to UKIP in the event of a win for Nigel Farage's party.
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