- Ndambiri said Karua is too senior a politician to vie for governor.
- Karua, who once served as the Gichugu MP, has since announced her interest in making a second stab at the Kirinyaga governor seat.
Image: WANGECHI WANG'ONDU
Image: WANGECHI WANG'ONDU
Kirinyaga Deputy Governor Peter Ndambiri has joined calls to have Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua picked as a running mate for either of the two leading presidential candidates.
His proposal comes as the nomination of presidential running mates nears.
Ndambiri said Karua is too senior a politician to vie for governor.
Speaking to the Star on Tuesday, the deputy governor praised Karua for her remarkable political career, an action he said qualifies her as a suitable running mate.
Ndambiri further said Kenyans should not miscalculate her political move as chances of her rising to be second in command are extremely high.
"Leave the Kirinyaga politics to us and play your league by remaining at the national politics. You are resourceful there and that's your place," he said.
Karua, who once served as the Gichugu MP for more than 20 years, has since announced her interest in making a second stab at the Kirinyaga governor seat under the Narc-Kenya ticket.
Her first attempt was in the 2017 general election where she was defeated by current Governor Anne Waiguru.
During her launch in late January, she urged residents to vote for her because she was the best bet to bring impactful change into many ailing sectors in the county.
The former Justice minister said she can competently serve as a Kirinyaga governor and as a national leader.
The ‘Iron Lady’ of Kenyan politics vowed to prioritise health, agriculture and youth empowerment dockets.
She accused Waiguru's administration of ruining the county's healthcare system, despite having sufficient funds to smoothly run all the public health facilities.
Karua also said the governor should bear the burden of the wanting healthcare system, including the failure to streamline it because health is now a devolved function.
She said many residents have resorted to seeking medical services in private facilities as many of the public hospitals lack medicine and enough medical officers.
“While we agree that putting up modern buildings is a good idea, we cannot afford to compromise the health of our people by denying them medicine," she said.
"This includes medical officers and key medical equipment that many of our facilities are lacking.”
In October last year, while speaking in Kirinyaga, Karua said one cannot declare candidature for a presidential running mate position.
She said the position was dependent on the mercy of the individual running for the presidency and, as such, her ambitions are set on Kirinyaga governor.
(edited by Amol Awuor)