People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua has declared her intent to run for the presidency in the next general elections, stating she will not deputise any candidate.

Addressing the Kenyan diaspora community in Seattle, Washington, during a joint forum with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Karua emphasized that the time for second-tier roles is long gone.

“I’m done with the running mate business. That era ended in 2022. This time, I’m going for nothing less than the presidency. I’m working day and night to be that candidate, because I believe Kenya deserves ethical, principled, and visionary leadership,” she said. 

Karua said she would nevertheless support whoever emerges as the opposition candidate but without accepting a deputy role.

“If, in the unlikely event, another person is chosen, I will subordinate my support but not as a running mate. Because Kenya is bigger than any one of us,” she said. 

Karua reaffirmed her commitment to a united opposition movement but stressed that the struggle for Kenya’s liberation requires everyone. 

“Liberating Kenya cannot be done by one leader, one party, or one region. It has to be done by all people of goodwill. Our call is simple: Unite. Liberate,” she stated.

She reiterated that the move is not only changing names but also changing how things are done. 

“It’s about integrity, justice, and service. If we don’t enforce the law in real time, if we let impunity reign, our dreams of better governance will be wasted. We must kill impunity by ensuring no one is above the law,” said Karua.

Drawing comparisons with the previous regimes, decrying what she described as a “total eclipse” of the Constitution and a regression into authoritarianism.

“We never had 60 people killed in one day, even during sabasaba. But now, we have an unrepentant system one that issues shoot-to-kill orders and mocks accountability,” she said, referring to recent protest crackdowns. By Mike Kihaki, The Standard