Kenya elections 2022: Raila Odinga names Martha Karua as running mate

Karua is a former justice minister from the Central Region, a critical electoral battlefield on August 9. In 2013, she also ran for presidentship.

Karua stated last year, “I still have unfinished business with the presidency; therefore, God willing, I shall serve in that role one day.”

Some press members have referred to the seasoned politician as the “Iron lady.” She has criticized Kenyan politics as a “wealthy boys club” and supported calls for the International Criminal Court to examine the violence that followed prior elections.

In 2007, She as Justice Minister, accused Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) of “ethnic cleansing” for losing that particular year’s disputed election. Odinga described the allegation as “outrageous.”

In an apparent affront to Karua, Odinga was appointed prime minister as part of a power-sharing agreement enacted to quiet the violence that followed the election.

Karua is a member of Kenya’s largest ethnic group, the Kikuyu, whose support is crucial in racially heated elections.

For the first time in Kenya’s history, no notable Kikuyu contenders are standing for the highest post, making the running mate selection potentially critical.

On Sunday, Rigathi Gachagua, another Kikuyu leader, was announced as the running partner of Deputy President William Ruto, the other major election candidate.

Kenya has one of the lowest percentages of women in parliament in East Africa, with just 23%.

Before becoming a member of the Parliament, Ms. Karua, 64, was praised for her work counseling human rights campaigners and advocating for greater access to clean water.