• Raila termed Karua's move as a clever one, saying he was proud of welcoming him to the Azimio caravan.
• Raila said joining Azimio was Karua's only choice.
Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate Raila Odinga on Wednesday officially welcomed Narc Kenya party leader to the movement, further boosting his ground support ahead of the August 9 elections.
Raila termed Karua's decision as one signifying her willingness to be part of Kenya's third liberation, a move he said he was proud of.
"I don't think she had any choice because the difference between this side and the other side is like day and night," Raila said with a light touch.
The cross-over happened at Serena Hotel, Nairobi, hours after Karua made it public that he would be joining the Azimio team.
The Opposition doyen praised Karua as a second liberation heroine on account of the numerous struggles she went through during the glamour for multi-party democracy.
Raila said Karua would oftentimes find herself on the receiving end of state operatives in her bid to defend him and other politicians like Martin Shikuku who were pushing for an end to a one-party state.
He said by joining Azimio, Karua was continuing the struggle from where she left, this time round to liberate the country from people he termed as thieves.
"There is still a lot to be done to achieve what the people of Kenya desire and we agreed that time has come for us to come together," Raila said.
"She is now a general of struggle, and she wears the hat of struggle...so I feel very proud this afternoon to receive Martha this side," he added to loud applause.
The ODM boss nonetheless said joining Azimio la Umoja was Karua's only option since his competitors were advancing the very ideologies she has been opposing since her arrival on the political scene as Gichugu MP in 1992.
"That other side you find people defending the system that we are fighting but the reformists are on this side," Raila said.
"We are going to match together. She is going to get a number to play so when the game begins you will hear her" Raila added.
We Know the way!#UongoziBora pic.twitter.com/yKwkgDdzhp
— Martha Karua SC (@MarthaKarua) March 23, 2022
Karua, born in 1957, is a former long-standing MP for the Gichugu constituency and an advocate of the high court of Kenya.
She was minister of Justice until her resignation from the position in April 2009 on account of corruption in the grand coalition government led by then-president Mwai Kibaki.
Karua has consistently fought for the protection of women's rights and the improvement of democracy in Kenya.