The selection has also further buried Deputy President William Ruto’s prospects of his dream to ascend to the presidency.
Prior to Karua being selected as Raila’s running mate, there were many who were opposed to her based on reasons they now must know the excitement she has brought far more outweighs any concern they had. This will continue to manifest.
Raila and Ruto had significant landmines to maneuver in making their picks for running mate. One wrong choice would have seen their respective campaigns explode with no possibility of recovering.
Each choice presidential contenders had to make had the potential to cause some political damage, but the right choice had to be one that was not to lose them boatloads of votes—or totally and fatally harm their respective campaigns.
Neither of the presidential candidates have made a choice that could cause them significant votes. Certainly, neither of them has made a choice that could torpedo their respective campaigns. So it can be said on balance, each has made the right decision.
Ruto has chosen a running mate who is unafraid to fistfight anyone or to use and do anything to get the presidency.
Raila, on the other hand, has chosen a leader who is not only capable of harvesting votes from the Mt Kenya region, which he must have, he has also chosen someone who has demonstrated she has the qualities any presidential candidate would prefer to have.
First, it is about time we had a woman elected to the highest office in the land. By selecting Karua, Raila has yet again demonstrated why he has been a trailblazer in Kenyan politics. If the duo is elected in August, as it is now more likely than even before, Karua will be positioned to succeed Raila and become Kenya’s first woman president.
Ruto also had a choice to select a woman but the thinking is he did not because he knew if he did, all the men purporting to be his diehard supporters would have left him in droves. It reveals his support in the Mt Kenya region is a house built on sand.
Going by the reception Karua received during her homecoming in Kirinyaga, the tsunami Raila has been promising is all but here. And when it lands, the impenetrable and unmovable support Ruto has been claiming he has would be proven to be the phantom it has been.
Second, every presidential candidate must have a running mate who shares his or her vision while providing qualities that complement their own. Everyone, other than those who have benefited from corruption, wishes to have a new president who can finally address the endemic corruption problem we have suffered for decades.
Raila, who has already proven his chops in fighting corruption, has selected in Karua a leader whose anti-corruption credentials can only be loathed by the corrupt and those who have been emptying the public coffers uninhibited.
Third, Karua has proved she is not only resilient and tough as any can be, but those who know her can attest to the fact she is also very compassionate, caring and only brings forth her toughness when circumstances warrant.
It is a rare quality in a leader and one not only Raila needs as he prepares to transform the country, but one the country would further benefit from when her turn arrives to ascend to the highest office of the land.
So, now that the die has been cast, let’s seat back and watch the conclusion of this most unusual election circle.
Samuel Omwenga is a legal analyst and political commentator
