Defending Kibaki's win and how betrayals, frustrations led to bitter fallout

Opposition leader Raila Odinga and President Mwai Kibaki shake hands on January 24, 2008, as former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and senior government officials, including Martha Karua, look on. [File, Standard]

In her spirited defence of President Mwai Kibaki’s votes in 2007, Martha Karua fired on all cylinders.

After securing her Gichugu parliamentary seat, she walked to the National Tallying Centre at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) to find a strong ODM brigade led by current President William Ruto running the show.

For days and nights without sleep, she staked out for Kibaki until he was controversially pronounced the winner. Over the mediation period, Karua separately told off former US Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer and her boss Condoleezza Rice for their condescending approach to Kibaki.