Raila, Karua take on each other over broad-based deal

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga. [PHOTO: Raila Odinga/X]

ODM party leader Raila Odinga and his People’s Liberation Party (PLP) counterpart Martha Karua on Wednesday confronted each other over the recent political arrangement that culminated in the formation of a broad-based government.

It began when the PLP party leader asked Raila to formalise his political marriage with President William Ruto.

Karua criticised the idea of her counterpart being on both the Government and opposition, saying it undermined the fabric of multi-party democracy and the power of overseeing the government.

“The framers of our constitution found it fit to decree that Kenya will be a multi-party democracy, that in parliament, there will be a minority side and the majority side,” she said.

“But when you merge them as is happening in the broad-based (government), you deny people to question government from a position so while blessing the broad-based for those who see it that way I still request them to do what the law says.”

Karua urged the Former Prime Minister to formalize a coalition with the government, adding that it was the right thing to do from a legal perspective.

“I still request them to do what the law says; enter into political holy matrimony which is a coalition registered by Registrar of Political Parties to let the vital committees sit with parties absolutely not in government.”

Raila, in a rejoinder, defended the move to team up with Ruto, saying he needed to step in to diffuse the political situation across the country.

“We have walked the journey with Karua for a long time as demonstrated by the last general elections. We have explored together in all these areas looking for votes but we all know what happened,” Raila stated.

“We, however, decided that all that was in the past and the country had to move forward, so if the country is in trouble, we find solutions in hand.”

Raila downplayed Karua’s remarks, saying it is the work of MPs, both the majority and the minority, to oversight the Executive

The two leaders spoke during the burial of Siaya Governor James Orengo's father-in-law, the late Julius Laban, in Tharaka-Nithi County.