Political tensions within the United Opposition continue to escalate
as People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua once again rejected the notion
that former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua holds the title of Mt Kenya
political kingpin.
Karua in an interview with Radio Maisha dismissed growing
the position that Gachagua, who have become the face of the opposition and Mt
Kenya rebellion, now commands the loyalty of the vote-rich central Kenya
region.
Karua said that high visibility and frequent political tours
do not amount to leadership or electoral authority.
“Alichaguliwa wapi? [Where was he elected?] It is not
to say that the one who shouts the most owns the property. Even in a matatu,
the conductor is more populors than the driver. No election has ever made any
single person the kingpin. You may be heard. That does not mean you are the
kingpin,” Karua said.
The PLP leader also added that former President Uhuru
Kenyatta, who has also been taunted as the regional leader, is not the kingpin.
“Uhuru is a former president. It does not mean he is
the kingpin” she said.
Pressed on whether any leader currently occupies the top
political position in Mt Kenya, Karua insisted that no single individual can
claim leadership over the entire voting bloc.
On her part she positioned herself as an independent
political force in her own right, and among the leaders in the region.
“There are leaders, and I am one of them.”
She added that even at the time Gachagua extended an olive branch,
he did have much influence in Mt Kenya, and that he took advantage of a region
that had already rebelled against the government.
The former Justice minister added that Gachagua’s current
prominence owes more to timing and political realignment than to any organic
grassroots mandate.
“Remember, before I came to an understanding with
Gachagua, he did not have that voice,” she said. “He got it later
because he was in UDA, and people had already left UDA. You cannot say that
because he walks around a lot, he is the kingpin,” she said.
This is the second time Karua has publicly rejected
Gachagua’s kingpin status, signaling growing friction within the opposition’s
ranks.
In a previous interview in May, Karua dismissed Gachaguaโs
claims to regional dominance in Mt Kenya, stating that he is โnot the Mt Kenya
kingpinโ.
Instead, she described the former deputy president as โjust
a party leader like me or Uhuru Kenyatta.โ
โMt Kenya people had already left the government while he
was still deputy president. He found us here,โ she said.
While the two have previously cooperated politically, Karua
was careful to clarify that she does not answer to either Gachagua or Uhuru,
both of whom are in the United Opposition.
“He is not my leader,” she said of Gachagua.
“And I am not under Uhuru. I respect him greatly, but I am not under him.
He is a party leader, and I am a party leader. Let that be known by everyone. I
respect every leader. But no one should say that I am under him.”
Karuaโs remarks come at a sensitive moment for the
opposition, which is facing internal working challenges, even as they seek a
unified front to challenge Ruto in 2027.
In a recent interview, Jubilee deputy party Jeremiah Kioni said that Karua was onn her way out of the United Opposition due to lack of clarity in the camp.
Karua’s remarks are a signal that not all opposition figures
are willing to cede regional leadership, potentially setting the stage for a
battle over who truly speaks for central Kenya ahead of 2027.
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