Deputy presidential candidates Martha Karua and Rigathi Gachagua on Tuesday differed sharply on the assertions that President Uhuru Kenyatta is seeking to extend his stay in office through Raila Odinga as a proxy.
Karua strongly defended the President’s role as chair of the Azimio la Umoja coalition party saying it would only be peripheral by virtue of him being the leader of the Jubilee party.
But Gachagua rebuffed the claims saying the President has openly stated ‘he would be much around’, and that he (Uhuru) was the one who endorsed Karua for running mate.
“They are both proxies. I thought Martha was nominated by Raila but we have learned he was nominated by a man who has said he will be around. He (Uhuru) said he will be running the government from home,” Gachagua said.
The Mathira MP said Karua should be called out for being inconsistent in her stances citing the Narc Kenya leader’s earlier remarks that Raila and Uhuru should retire together.
“She is now trying to say that Uhuru should continue governing through a proxy. She is now the running mate of the person she said should go home. Being consistent is important in leadership,” the MP said.
But Karua tactically fought the take saying she was indeed a project, “but that of the people” and not Kenyatta as purported by the Kenya Kwanza side.
“It is true both my captain and I are projects but of the people of Kenya. My captain was called upon by Kenyans. I was competitively selected, unlike my competitor who was handpicked. I have shown independence of mind,” she said.
Karua said Uhuru is the chairman of the council and my captain is the leader of Azimio.
“I sit in the council as well and President Kenyatta doesn’t make a decision alone. His party will have a role. He will have a peripheral role as a party leader,” she explained.
But Gachagua maintained that “the role of President Kenyatta is to craft his own succession to continue governing the country through Raila.”
“Uhuru will continue governing the country outside his constitutional mandate. He is not ready to retire. We saw how angry he was when he was responding to people asking him to go.”
Karua restated that the person she was aware has appointed her as deputy and had declared intention to appoint her as Cabinet Secretary was Raila.
