Martha Karua: Iron lady making bold statement in local, East African politics

People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua has revamped her presence in the political arena as she hogs the limelight in the East African region and at home.

Even before she was detained and deported from Dar-es-Salaam three weeks ago, she had already captured public attention in the dramatic Kizza Besigye court-martial case after the Ugandan opposition leader was abducted while attending her book launch in Nairobi.

Then came the unexpected launch of PLP to replace her former party, Narc Kenya, which has since attracted many young politicians who are now serving in different capacities as party officials.

But is Karua only fighting for more democratic space in the East African region, or does she have an agenda of revamping her own political profile locally in the run-up to the 2027 elections?

The truth is that through a series of activities, Karua is showing that she is still a vibrant politician who can take risks in the interest of a particular course.

Strong activist

Maxwell Miyawa, an international development law scholar, argues that Karua is injecting a breath of fresh air into regional politics, apart from proving that she is still a strong activist.

“Although she has been around for many years and served as a State official where she held senior positions, what we are seeing is a new push for political activism that is getting a lot of support,” says Prof Miyawa.

The PLP leader has received credit for creating an emerging trend of political activism, which she is now being accused of exporting to neighbouring countries.

She has also received plaudits from activists and young people for generating debate on governance issues in the region, especially in Tanzania, where the resistance she is facing was expected because leaders there are not used to the kind of firebrand politics that Kenya has. Miyawa says Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu is concerned about Tanzanians getting exposed to the liberal politics that Kenyans engage in every day because of the liberties they enjoy in the Constitution.

“The transnational political activism that is being exported by Karua and others like Willy Mutunga will gradually lead to more democratic spaces, human rights, and free speech, because thriving democracy also brings economic development that is created by a plurality of ideas,” says Miyawa.

Karua has created a vibrant political debate across the region, while becoming the topic of discussion, not only in Tanzania’s national parliament but at every formal and informal discussion, including on radio and television talk shows on a daily basis in that country.

President Suluhu and her MPs have blamed Karua for allegedly exporting political activism to create chaos and instability in the country. They demanded that tough action be taken by security forces against such people.

In response, Kenyan MPs engaged in a heated debate, with the pro-government side supporting their Tanzanian counterparts and the opposition demanding more political freedoms in Tanzania.

“Kesho itabidi tuongee tu Kiswahili bungeni ili wenzetu wa Tanzania watupate kwa njia ya uhakiki (tomorrow, we’ll have to speak only in Kiswahili in Parliament so that our colleagues from Tanzania can understand us clearly),” said Minority Deputy Chief Whip Edwin Sifuna while defending Karua and her colleagues.

Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka also defended Kenyan lawyers who visited Tanzania to observe opposition leader Tundu Lissu’s trial, telling authorities in the country that no law stops a lawyer of repute like Karua from attending court sessions in the region.

Political analyst Macharia Munene thinks Karua’s intention is to show that she is not just a populist politician like other opposition leaders but one who has specific principles and ideals.

“She has created an impression that she is not just a populist politician but a person of principle, irrespective of the outcome when she ran for president. She is now doing well,” says Prof Munene.

He says Karua is expanding the democratic space, accountability, while promoting the notion of regional solidarity among the people.

Her presence in Dar-es-Salaam, for example, made Lissu’s incarceration appear to be a common problem that should be confronted by progressive voices in the entire region.

“Karua’s message is that whatever happens to others is also our problem and a regional concern,” says Munene, adding that the visibility she is creating through her presence is also promoting the spirit of togetherness.

She has also drawn international support for opposition leaders who are either facing trumped-up charges or are under house arrest.

“Whether they will vote for the opposition or not is another issue, but her presence and involvement have raised awareness both inside and outside Tanzania,” says Munene.

He also sees a possibility of opposition parties and leaders in the region engaging and working together going forward, especially if Karua can push for a more structured arrangement to make it a reality, with a united agenda of fighting against atrocious regimes.

That is because the thinking is that those attacking the opposition are enemies of all opposition leaders, making it imperative for them to compare notes on how to respond to emerging threats.

Munene argues that the approach was used by pre-independence freedom fighters who also worked together to fight territorial colonialism or racism against black people on the continent.

But, as mentioned earlier, Karua’s focus also appears to be on positioning herself for her 2027 presidential bid after she recently launched her new party.

“She is leveraging her regional fights for democracy as a strategy of appealing to young voters and those seeking fresh ideas through the new party, and she is being listened to,” adds Munene.

Apart from that, she is also getting her voice heard in the Opposition because politicians launch political parties so that they can sit at the bargaining table.

Apart from creating a new image for herself through PLP, she has now also shaken off the Narc Kenya tag, a party that broke away from the original Narc that the opposition used to win the presidency in 2003.

She has also brought on board very vocal young people, like secretary general Asha Bashir and deputy chairperson Kabala Kile to inject some energy into the party, as they are already doing through press briefings and TV talk shows.

Besigye’s trial

On Friday, Bashir received a big applause when she spoke at Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka’s function in Mwingi, where she represented Karua, who was away in Uganda attending Besigye’s trial.

“We reject President Ruto’s apology to young people at the National Prayer Breakfast because people of my age and others even younger were killed, and no compensation or restitution has been done,” said Bashir, as she demanded that the President account for those who committed the murders.

She later defended Karua at a talk show, telling Kenyans that what the PLP leader did as a young lawyer and activist to open up the democratic space is what young people are now doing to liberate the country economically.

“I’m not ashamed to be the secretary general of PLP as a young person because we are not all capable of registering political parties.

‘‘Young people cannot allow the same status quo to remain. They should join political parties and ensure that their voices are heard, as I’m doing now,” said Bashir.

Karua, in the past, has urged young voters to register as voters instead of watching from the sidelines as the country takes the wrong direction.