Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua has accused Wiper and Kanu for betraying other political parties in the collapsed One Kenya Alliance (OKA) even as she says that doors have not been slammed for her both in Azimio La Umoja and Kenya Kwanza.
Ms Karua, in an interview with NTV on Monday evening, said the moment both Wiper of Kalonzo Musyoka and Gideon Moi’s Kanu signed agreement to join Azimio, that was the end of OKA.
Mr Musyoka, Baringo Senator, Ms Karua and Cyrus Jirongo of United Democratic Party (UDP) had just signed an agreement to approach any coalition talks jointly, only for Wiper and Kanu to join Mr Odinga’s Azimio train 24-hours later.
Irungu Nyakera’s Farmer’s party and Movement for Democracy and Growth (MDG) party of Ugenya MP David Ochieng had also joined OKA.
“OKA was our collaborators with the sole purpose being negotiating together meaning, we were to talk with other formations together. However, our colleagues entered another agreement during the Azimio National Delegates Conference (NDC). In other words, the purpose of coming up with OKA collapsed that particular day,” the Narc Kenya leader elucidated.
“If, as individual parties, while negotiating what was on the table was enough for them, there is no way we could block them. It was their democratic right to do so,” she added.
She hinted that there was nothing barring her party from joining her former colleagues and work together ahead of the August General elections with the succession race now shaping up to be a two-horse battle.
“We are still friends because even before that signing, we were still working together. Yes, individual parties parted ways with OKA but we can still work together. There is no deadline for people to work together. Even those of our colleagues whom we were with in OKA, we can still walk together in this journey without any agreement,” said Ms Karua.
Ms Karua, who disclosed that she is focusing on her Kirinyaga gubernatorial race and Narc Kenya fielding across the country said Wiper and Kanu joining Azimio does not block her from negotiating with Azimio or Kenya Kwanza.
“No one has blocked us from having negotiations with those other political formations. No legal deadline for people not to join one another. No door is closed. Some might have undergone signing as we witnessed recently but that is not the end of negotiations,” she said.
Ms Karua who is yet to join any of the two formations, said that she will have to determine is who between Deputy President William Ruto and ODM boss Raila Odinga can protect the public resources before she makes up her mind on which outfit to work with.
“Every presidential candidate will explain to you all that s/he is able to do but it cannot happen without money or without safeguarding public resources. Seeing patriotism and people who can be trusted,” she said.
She further asked the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to hold a stakeholders’ meeting in order to build public trust that it is capable of holding free, fair and credible elections.
“IEBC should show and demonstrate that it is able to hold free, fair and transparent elections. I have said several times that IEBC should call all stakeholders and discuss what went wrong in 2017 which saw the presidential election annulled. We need to agree on what to change and follow the law,” said Ms Karua.
At the same time, the Narc Kenya boss refuted claims that the difference she has with President Uhuru Kenyatta is personal, arguing that she only disagreed with the Head of State on Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) and management of Covid-19.
“I only disagreed with him on the issue of changing the Constitution that is BBI and how his government handled the Coronavirus pandemic. Even today, if there is something we feel that is not right, we shall keep the government on check. It is my right as a Kenyan to point out wrongs in government and that is not hatred,” she explained.
Pertaining to Mount Kenya Unity Forum, which was bringing Narc Kenya, Chama Cha Kazi (CCK) of Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria and former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri’s The Service Party (TSP) and now seemed to have been swallowed by DP Ruto, Ms Karua said she is still stable in it despite left alone adding that the work is still on.
“It was unity for purpose. We were looking for unity on important issues in Mount Kenya. Our first goal was to empower multi-party democracy in the region and without so that we do not go back to the single party system. We have not accomplished our agenda, we shall continue reaching out to Kenyans and it is not a must we be in the same coalition,” she said.
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