Karua: The opposition will soldier on, with or without Raila
NARC Kenya leader Martha Karua speaks to journalists at the party offices in Nairobi on August 22, 2024.
What you need to know:
- Mr Odinga and Ms Karua were running mates in the last General Election.
- Narc Kenya is currently seeking to exit Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition.
Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua has dispelled fears that the exit of Orange Democratic Movement leader Raila Odinga from the local political arena will leave the opposition voiceless.
Speaking at the party headquarters in Nairobi on Thursday, Ms Karua said she would stand with like-minded Kenyans to fight what she described as oppression by the Kenya Kwanza regime.
While wishing Mr Odinga well in his bid for the African Union Commission (AUC) chairmanship, Ms Karua said the outcome would not change her stance on criticising President William Ruto whenever he violates the constitution.
“The position doesn’t change. He (Mr Odinga) remains here, we still remain the voice. He goes, we still play our role. Being in the opposition is not predicated on the presence or absence of our brother. It is the duty we take up seriously,” Ms Karua said.
At the same time, Ms Karua reiterated he commitment to highlighting injustices and standing with the victims of police brutality and kidnapping.
“This party will continue to stand for what is right. We are not part of government, we are the opposition and we are used to being on the opposition trenches for the longest time. You can expect that we continue to do so and our colleagues who wish to do so, we will collaborate with them,” Ms Karua said.
She also said he party will relent in its calls to have police officers who were captured on cameras brutalising peaceful protesters during the anti-government protests are arrested.
“We demand accountability for violation of human rights, deaths, for assaults of citizens and the media. We must not agree to forget and lower our demands. We are waiting officers whose faces were widely circulated in social media, when will they be brought to account. When will they get arrested?”
Ms Karua further accused the Kenya Kwanza regime of encouraging impunity and a breakdown of law and order within the ranks of police force and high ranking public officials.
Her remarks come even as Narc Kenya seeks to exit Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition after key ODM officials were appointed to the Cabinet by President William Ruto.
Mr Odinga and Ms Karua were running mates in the last General Election, but their political partnership appears to have broken down.
The party also stated that it would present details of police brutality to the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR), the UN Commission on Human Right and other relevant organisations.
Ms Karua regretted that despite uproar over police brutality and excessive use of force against peaceful protesters in anti-government demonstrations, illegal arrests and abductions continue targeting the people who are demanding for accountability.
“We refuse to remain silent. We refuse to be accomplices to the betrayal of the people of Kenya. We must speak out for those who cannot speak,” she said.
Regarding the heated debate on the higher education funding model, Ms Karua said it is a betrayal of Kenyans by people who enjoyed education funded by the taxpayer’s money.
She said the model, if successfully implemented, will shift the burden of education to parents and students and their families, who can barely afford it.
“If implemented without meaningful public participation is not only unconstitutional but also discriminatory. It exacerbates the social economic inequalities.”
