Women traders in Busia have asked ODM leader Raila Odinga to hand over the presidential baton to Martha Karua if he is elected in August.
In an interview with the Star, the women said the Narc Kenya boss is a ‘tested leader’ with the ability to lead the country because she has a huge following.
“We are celebrating the selection of Martha Karua as Raila running mate. That is enough to tell the world that Raila appreciates women's leadership," Malaba Central MCA aspirant Takia Mzinza said.
Raila picked Karua as his running mate on Monday at KICC in an event attended by high profile leaders from the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance and Cabinet Secretaries.
Karua was selected among the top three candidates suitable for the job by the Azimio running mate selection panel after two days of interviews last week.
Rehema Atyang, a member of the Malaba Cross Border Women Traders Association, said the decision by Raila to choose Karua as his running mate clearly shows the confidence he has in women.
Her sentiments were echoed by Busia Women Small Scale Traders Association deputy secretary Miriam Chemutai who termed the move historic.
Karua’s profile in the country and Mt Kenya region has risen prominently since she vied for the presidency in 2013 and contested the Kirinyaga governor seat in 2017.
She had announced her interest in making a second stab at the Kirinyaga governor seat on a Narc-Kenya ticket.
The outspoken lawyer once served as the Gichugu MP for more than 20 years between 1991 and 2013.
The ‘Iron Lady’ of Kenyan politics was born on September 22, 1957, in Kirinyaga, and studied law at the University of Nairobi from 1977 to 1980. She later joined the Kenya School of Law in 1980 to 1981.
The mother of two first served as a magistrate at Makadara, Nakuru and Kibera courts between 1981 and 1987 and later established Martha Karua & Company Advocates law firm.
(edited by Amol Awuor)
