It has been a thorny path to political deal for 'Iron Lady' Martha Karua

Former President Mwai Kibaki (right), Martha Karua (middle) and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga after reaching a deal following the disputed 2007 election. [Courtesy]

When Narc-Kenya party leader Martha Karua walked into Serena Hotel yesterday, she cemented her place in the Azimio la Umoja movement and sent pundits back to the guessing board on whether she will be Raila’s running mate in the August 9 General Election. 

By endorsing the coalition’s flag bearer, Raila Odinga, she signaled the end of her protracted journey to joining the political formation that had already accommodated former One Kenya Alliance (OKA) co-principals Gideon Moi (Kanu), Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper) and Cyrus Jirongo (UDP-K).

“I am here to confirm that from now onwards, Narc Kenya and I are going to support the Azimio presidential candidate, Raila Odinga. And this is without any equivocation,” said Karua.

The decision, she said, was based on a long period of soul searching and political consultations.

“All sides have people who do not believe in the rule of law, and all sides have good people. I have been looking keenly and I have been able without much struggle to identify a critical mass of good people within the Azimio coalition. And that is all that is needed for liberation in this country.”

Karua had embraced the same person whose monolithic outfit–National Super Alliance–she had ditched in the run-up to the 2017 General Election in favour of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee party.

She had also run into the arms of the same leader she had criticised in 2020 after his remarks that ODM was both in the opposition and in government following his handshake with President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Karua had accused the leader of opposition of becoming “the mouthpiece of the Executive.”

Karua and Raila’s political relationship has not always been rosy, with the two not reading from the same script since the disputed 2007 elections.

Most recently, the duo had been at loggerheads over the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) with Karua, through the Linda Katiba initiative, fervently opposed to the constitutional amendment initiative.

She was among the lawyers who represented parties opposed to the BBI process at the Court of Appeal.

And before she said ‘Raila Tosha’ yesterday, Karua had called for his resignation as prime minister in 2012. She also wanted former President Mwai Kibaki impeached and Raila sent home in the 2013 ballot.

She had said that she was appalled by the lack of goodwill from Kibaki and Raila to deal with corruption from within the ranks of the grand coalition government.

But the genesis of this political rivalry was the disputed 2007 presidential election where Raila, claimed that the election had been stolen by Kibaki.

The former Justice minister, however, fervently refuted the claims by the opposition leader, setting her on a collision path with him in the ensuing years.