NARC-Kenya leader Martha Karua has proven herself the best candidate to be named as Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s running mate.
Naming Karua as his number 2, would excite the nation, give Azimio a strong hand in the Mt. Kenya region and jolt its campaign giving it the necessary momentum in the final days of the general elections campaign.
Unlike many Mt. Kenya region candidates who have been hesitant to support Odinga’s bid openly, Karua and President Uhuru Kenyatta stand out as Odinga’s boosters in the region, often showing hostility toward the former prime minister.
As a respected woman leader who has defined herself as principled and uncorrupted, Karua stands out as a woman ready to become a strong president in the unfortunate event Odinga were to be incapacitated.
Unlike former Vice President and Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka who has demanded elevation to be named Deputy President, Karua has humbled herself, leaving surrogates to campaign for her bid while putting in the work to popularize Odinga in the Mt. Kenya region.
On the campaign trail, Karua has not just run around sloganeering and making nonsensical chants; she has intelligently and succinctly explained she supports Odinga because he has dedicated his life to fighting for the betterment of Kenya.
In one rally, Karua highlighted Odinga’s anti-corruption platform and said she believes Odinga is the only contender capable of fighting graft threatening to cripple Kenya.
Known as the Iron Lady, Karua has demonstrated her mettle when battling rowdy crowds supporting Deputy President William Ruto, who have heckled Odinga’s rallies in the Mt. Kenya region.
On the campaign trail, Karua has not just run around sloganeering and making nonsensical chants; she has intelligently and succinctly explained she supports Odinga because he has dedicated his life to fighting for the betterment of Kenya.
In a recent outing with Odinga in Kutus, Karua single-handedly shut down a crowd of hecklers who attempted to embarrass Odinga. Speaking in the Gikuyu language, Karua challenged the disruptors to leave the rally and organize their rallies and invite their favorite candidate instead of interrupting Azimio’s rally.
Her fearless move to shut down the rowdy crowd empowered the Azimio supporters in the group, who slowly regained their voice and participated in the chanting Azimio slogans.
Selling Odinga in Mt. Kenya was not going to be an easy task. The suspicion between Luos and Gikuyus still lingers from Kenya’s founding to the present.
The falling out between founding fathers Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and Kenya’s first President Jomo Kenyatta still haunts the two tribes. The coming together of their sons, Uhuru and Raila, provides Kenya with an excellent opportunity to turn the page and bury historical grudges.
It’s understandable, therefore, for the Mt. Kenya region to be hesitant about supporting Odinga.
The anti-Raila strain in the Mt. Kenya region is based on past disinformation that Odinga is anti-GEMA and years of negative whisper campaigns that have painted Raila as “maganga.” But after supporting the late President Mwai Kibaki to become president and working with President Kenyatta in a gentleman’s agreement known as Handshake, Odinga has proven many times over that he is not anti-GEMA.
Ruto has exploited the Mt. Kenya unease toward Odinga, using surrogates to question whether he is circumcised, a male rite of passage considered paramount in the GEMA and most Kenyan communities.
It appears many Kenyans are looking past such unfair attacks on Odinga and are joining his Azimio movement, making it the most inclusive coalition in Kenyan history. Despite the whisper campaigns, Kenyans have overwhelmingly voted for Odinga in the past, and he is believed to have have won at least two elections where he was rigged out.
An Odinga win would spread the presidency to the Western Kenya region for the first time in Kenya’s history and spreading the occupancy of the executive office beyond Mt. Kenya and the Rift Valley where four Kenyan presidents have originated.
Over the years, Odinga has demonstrated the ability to push for policies that have led to major changes in Kenya. He is credited with pushing for the 2010 constitution change that brought about the decentralizing the government and allowing counties to determine their development priorities.
Karua is not shy in pointing out such positive traits about Odinga while at the same time contrasting with Ruto’s side, which she has artfully denounced as corrupt and driven by greed.
Comparing Karua’s campaign trail productivity in Azimio and Musyoka’s constant whining, blackmail, and demands, it’s clear Karua is a more suitable partner for Odinga’s bid.
She has served as Minister of Justice and National Cohesion after the 2007-2008 Post Election Violence and as the Minister of Water Resources Management and Development. Karua is also an intellectual. She is a respected lawyer and women’s rights activist.
Karua’s background as a lawyer and in government makes her a perfect candidate to prosecute Ruto and intellectually make a case against his candidature.
Watching Karua and Odinga interact, one can see a pair of leaders with mutual respect. The same cannot be said about the relationship between Odinga and Musyoka.
Musyoka appears entitled and has a dismissive attitude toward Odinga. His demands to be named running mate or tank Odinga’s presidential ambitions makes him a hostile member of the coalition who might become a rogue Deputy President, just like Ruto turned out in the Jubilee government.
Comparing Karua’s productivity in Azimio and Musyoka’s constant whining, blackmail, and demands, it’s clear Karua is a more suitable partner for Odinga’s bid.
Musyoka appears to be appeasing Ruto and Kenya Kwanza than campaigning for Odinga and Azimio. He has developed an autonomous attitude which led him to field impeached former Nairobi Governor Gideon Mbuvi AKA Mike Sonko as a governor candidate for Mombasa, complicating the chances for ODM candidates in the region.
In a recent campaign appearance, Musyoka took his campaign to undermine Odinga a notch higher. He smiled while Sonko, his newly-minted attack dog, threatened to tank Odinga’s quest for the presidency if he did not choose the Wiper leader as his running mate.
Kalonzo’s refusal to appear in front of the Azimio-One Kenya vetting committee also suggests he’s a member of the coalition gone rogue. Vetting of running mates is a common practice worldwide, and no candidate should be exempt.
It’s in the vetting processes where the candidate and running mate align visions and develop strategies for working together. By failing to appear, Musyoka may have disqualified himself.
Such moves disqualify Musyoka and send alarm bells that naming him running mate might end up as disastrously as Uhu-Ruto.
Karua is the best candidate to neutralize Musyoka’s threats as she expands the map for Odinga into the Mt. Kenya region.
And as the first woman Deputy President candidate, Karua would excite Kenyans and give them a fresh face from the usual men who have dominated Kenyan politics for decades.
Any worries that Musyoka would tank Odinga’s chances do not hold water as he has been his running mate in two unsuccessful bids. It’s also not plausible for Musyoka to claim he has control of the Kamba vote. Yet, he does not get along with three key Kamba governors who command a significant following in the region.
Kalonzo’s refusal to appear in front of the Azimio-One Kenya vetting committee also suggests he’s a member of the coalition gone rogue. Vetting of running mates is a common practice worldwide, and no candidate should be exempt.
It’s in the vetting processes where the candidate and running mate align visions and develop strategies for working together. By failing to appear, Musyoka may have disqualified himself.
Kalonzo should understand that undermining Odinga and Azimio puts his presidential ambitions in jeopardy, as he’d find it very difficult to win the presidency without Odinga’s support.
However, because of the regional nature of Kenyan politics, it is not wise to dismiss Musyoka, so he should be respectfully excused and offered a powerful position in government so as not to give him a reason to kick the table and throw a wrench in Azimio.
We must note that this year’s election is not the same as 2013 and 2017; this year has the Mt. Kenya region as a swing vote, and Odinga must use every tool available to maximize this opportunity.
The best way for Odinga to make a play for the Mt. Kenya region and use Kenyatta’s clout to its advantage is by naming Karua his running mate. Such a move would put Ruto under pressure to choose a running mate from Central Kenya and leave him vulnerable in Western Kenya.
Currently, the Luhyia nation is banking on former Vice President Musalia Mudavadi to be named Ruto’s running mate. Failure to name Mudavadi would give Azimio a bigger opening and ensure Odinga’s sweep of the region.
At 74, age is catching up. Odinga has lost his youthful step, but he has maintained a sharp mind and has shared a vision of making Kenya a great nation. The last thing he needs is a Deputy President he cannot fire, going, Rogue.
The mutual respect between Odinga and Karua suggests she’d make a great partner.
To achieve his 10-point plan, Odinga will need a solid and focused wing woman.
Karua is that woman.