Running mate? not again! - Karua says

People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua during celebration of life and literature of Professor Ngugi wa thiongo on June 20, 2025. [David Gichuru, Standard]

People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua has declared that she will not accept the position of running mate in the next general election.

Karua insists that she will only contest for the presidency or support another opposition candidate if she is not chosen as the flagbearer.

Speaking during an interview on Radio Maisha on Monday, Karua said she is preparing to be on the ballot as a presidential candidate under the banner of the United Opposition, but ruled out the possibility of deputising any of her co-principals.

“When I say I will not be a running mate but am in the united opposition where we have resolved that we will pick one candidate, I mean I will do all I can so that I become that flagbearer,” she said.

However, the veteran politician maintained that she remains committed to opposition unity ahead of the 2027 election and would support the candidate eventually selected to challenge President William Ruto.

“But if not me, I will not be a running mate, but I will support whoever will be picked under the united opposition flagbearer 102 percent,” Karua added.

Karua said she has already served in several leadership roles and believes she is now beyond the position of deputy.

“The running mate position is content with it. I have already served and am beyond that level. Even if you vote me to go to Parliament, I will decline because I served in that position and what I achieved there,” she said.

Karua, a Senior Counsel and long-serving reform advocate, first entered Parliament in 1992 as the Member of Parliament for Gichugu, where she served for nearly two decades.

She later served as Minister for Justice during the administration of former President Mwai Kibaki and was also the running mate to Raila Odinga in the 2022 presidential election.

Karua also launched a sharp critique of the Kenya Kwanza administration, accusing it of pursuing economic programmes that primarily benefit a few individuals rather than ordinary Kenyans.

On the government’s infrastructure fund proposals, Karua said the idea may appear promising, but raised concerns about transparency and accountability in the use of public resources.

“Already, SHA, Sh1.3 trillion has been drawn. The Auditor General has flagged this and is always intimidated. How do you begin arguing with the Auditor General when the office is out to expose the reality? Figures don’t lie,” she said. 

She further criticised the government’s privatisation agenda involving state corporations, warning that it could open doors for questionable deals.

“The president has a big appetite to take everything. The Adani deals you cannot work with someone who has been rejected in other countries because of corruption,” Karua said.

Karua also expressed concern about what she termed the erosion of institutional independence, particularly in Parliament and the Judiciary.

“The Parliament is no longer Parliament. It went to the dogs. It has surrendered to the executive. Almost all MPs are puppets to the president,” she claimed.

On the judiciary, Karua argued that while some judges have demonstrated independence, the overall system faces growing pressure from the executive.

“Independence of the courts should not be the written constitution but how you serve in the justice system. Just a few in there are serving Kenyans,” she said.