Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua has made a passionate plea to Kenyans to elect leaders of integrity right from the ward level in the 2022 polls.
In a wide-ranging interview with the Star, Karua said Kenyans should only elect leaders who have shown a commitment to protect their resources, evident from their track record.
However, the former Justice minister remained tight-lipped on who between Deputy President William Ruto or ODM leader Raila Odinga should be elected president.
Instead, she criticised the labelling of the presidential contest as a two-horse race, saying Kenyans must never be boxed into a corner.
Here is an abridged version of the interview:
What do you say of the “madoadoa” remark?
I was very disappointed that the leadership that convened the Eldoret meeting not only allowed Mithika Linturi to continue but failed to immediately denounce that remark. It now makes the UDA party leadership look like they tolerated intolerance, and especially those remarks that evoke reasons that we have the ICC debacle. We have to be quick. We already have tension from the discord within Jubilee. We can’t afford to add to it.
What is your assessment of the Jubilee administration’s performance? Ruto’s as DP?
Generally, during the second term, the most noticeable thing is the discord within the government and in the Jubilee Party. It was defined by the strained relationship between the President and his deputy, which is totally unhealthy. We don’t know what the beef is but they disrespect us as Kenyans when they bring their fights to the open; when they make the government or their relationship dysfunctional.
Tell us more about the Kirinyaga governor race.
I am on the ground. I know there is a national conversation with a lot of people mentioning me in relation to other posts. I appreciate them. It shows confidence in me. However, there is no seat you can declare candidacy for as a deputy. You cannot declare that you want to be deputy governor or deputy president. That is a seat that is purely dependent on another person and being named.
Do you have what it takes to unseat Anne Waiguru?
She never won, to begin with. So it takes very little to unseat her. She is a paper tiger. And anybody else, I believe I have what it takes to win the seat and that I have the qualifications.
What do you think about Wangui Ngirici?
I don’t have to think anything about her. She is entitled to try her luck. Let the people assess her. I only talked of one person who I believe stole my vote. That’s all.
At what time are coalitions best formed? After or pre-election?
Both are okay. It is for the leadership of the party to decide the time. It is an internal affair for any political party. Parties that want coalitions before elections are right, so are those who want after elections.
What is your assessment of the parties’ law?
The bill is not necessarily wrong, the only thing I saw wrong was the rush and the chaotic situation in which the enactment was going on. We cannot have important things passed amidst the chaos. It is not good.
Have you been approached for running mate post?
I don’t know why this question comes up. If approached, it will not be in darkness. I don’t do things in darkness. If such a thing comes up it will be known.
Of the 2022 political sides, does Raila, Ruto present the dream team?
I wouldn’t want to discuss individuals but the values that we want to see in a leader. We want to see which leadership will protect the resources and the commitment to do so as shown from their track record.
Which way Mt Kenya?
I would imagine that like everybody, they have their eyes and ears out. Things are volatile in politics. Let us give people time. We must tell people about the values presented by the candidates. When we will have agreed, it will always be the majority.
Looking back to your days as Justice minister, do you think you would have handled your resignation differently?
There are things one can’t compromise on and those that we can. You can’t tell me to compromise on being a watchdog for Kenyans or on whether squandering of public resources should be tolerated in government, the issue of human rights, and the administration of justice. These issues affect people so deeply in irreversible ways. If it were today, I would do exactly as I did and would exit. I think it is deceitful and also hypocritical to remain in government if you think you can’t be effective. If I felt obstructed, as I did, in my work as a minister, I exited and remained MP.
Mt Kenya Unity Forum, what’s the lull about?
I am still behind the Mt Kenya Unity Forum. It has not gone anywhere. It is very much alive. Just towards the end of December, there was a rally hosted by Hon William Kabogo in Thika. I wasn’t able to attend but I gave my greetings and apologies to go to the rally. We are alive. We are still planning things. Things have not moved as fast as we wanted but we are very much there.
We are still calling for the unity of Mt Kenya people and the unity of all Kenyans. The unity of Mt Kenya has a bearing on the unity of Kenya, just like the unity of Kirinyaga county has a bearing on the unity of Mt Kenya. Unity doesn’t mean that we all sing the same song as parrots but that on issues that matter, we talk and a majority goes to one side.
Which way August? Is it UDA or Azimio or Oka third force?
The media is giving a narrative that there are only two sides. There are more than two sides. Irrespective of whether any side will win, they are entitled to their voice. Singer Reuben Kigame is a candidate – a man I have great respect for. He may not have the profile of others but the media should give him a mention and let Kenyans know what he stands for. Let the media help Kenyans to have a rich menu to choose from. Don’t give me either or. I refuse to subscribe to that. Kenyans must watch, judge each candidate by their utterances and their company.
Is the Limuru 3 conference still in the works?
We may not make it to have a meeting on January as we had earlier announced. We are discussing. We need to have had town hall meetings in all the counties. We have not finished. It may be pushed a little further but it is coming.
Take-home on parties’ law?
I have not gone through them one by one. There is nothing wrong in firming up coalition arrangements so that people go with clear arrangements, unlike the handshake where people don’t know the parameters – we need clarity. We also need penalties for parties that go into a come-we-stay relationship. That would have been my input if I was asked. A come-we-stay relationship like the one between the handshake partners has denied Kenyans the opposition as well as the role of a minority in Parliament.
What’s your assessment of IEBC preparations?
IEBC must ask itself hard questions. Since the presidential elections were annulled, did you ever call a meeting of stakeholders to discuss what went wrong and how better to move forward? Since we heard from lawyers of IEBC that the servers were in France, what have you done so the servers are in Kenya? What have you done to ensure that both electronic and hard copy records are available? How can IEBC lock itself in Anniversary Towers to plan an election without public participation? The Constitution allows us to participate. IEBC should be calling the 82 parties, civil society, ELOG, so that we can discuss how to better manage our elections.
Do you see more women winning seats in the elections?
Yes. More than just prioritising the coalition bill, handshake partners and other political parties should marshal their troops to also amend the parties law to obligate all political parties to ensure that candidates sent to the IEBC for the contest should fulfil the not more than two-thirds gender rule. That will see so many women elected. We may not need top-ups. Men have been having free things and are used to those free things. We need to equalise in areas where the party has influence or not.
How is life in and outside government? Which side is better?
For me, it is the same because it is about the people. When you are in government, you serve the people differently. As a Cabinet Secretary, or Minister as I was, you implement, and you can measure yourself whether you are doing something that is of use to Kenyans. As an MP, I discharged my duties to the fullest. I was among the top debaters of substance throughout my tenure. Even as a minister, I still had time for Parliament. Out here, my role is different. I am representing people without a portfolio. I lead a political party. I will rate myself that I have discharged my duty as a national leader. I have played a bigger role than those employed to do it in Parliament.
Any cases you can point out?
It is those of us outside— as Linda Katiba, Narc Kenya—who pressurised the government to stop flights from mainly China and other areas that had Covid-19, flagged the issue of the Covid-19 billionaires. We stood up when the government came up with BBI, which we thought was not largely for the benefit of Kenyans. I don’t want to go on because the final BBI court battle is next week at the Supreme Court.
Your parting shot to Kenyans on elections?
Let us each ask ourselves: What is wrong with the services we are getting from the county and national governments today? We have people of goodwill spread out in the country but we lack good governance. It is possible to elect people of integrity right from the ward.
