NAIROBI, KENYA — A public disagreement has emerged between ODM party leader Raila Odinga and People’s Liberation Party (PLP) counterpart Martha Karua regarding the nature of the current broad-based government arrangement with President William Ruto.
The two, who were running mates in the 2022 General Elections, voiced differing opinions at the funeral of Julius Laban, Siaya Governor James Orengo’s in-law, held in Tharaka Nithi County on Tuesday.
Raila defended the broad-based engagement with the ruling regime, asserting that ODM remains outside the government.
“Uchaguzi uliopita tulikuwa na Martha na tulizuru naye sehemu hii yote tukitafuta kura lakini mnajua baadaye nini ilifanyika. Lakini, hayo ni yaliyopita, nchi mpaka iendelee mbele,” Raila stated.
Loosely translated in English as; “In the past election, I was with Martha, and we toured this whole area together seeking votes, but you know what happened later. However, those are things of the past, the country must move forward.”
However, Karua challenged Raila’s claims, urging him to formalize the arrangement as a legal coalition through the Registrar of Political Parties. She also emphasized the importance of allowing the opposition in Parliament to fulfill its constitutional role.
“The framers of our Constitution found it fit to decree that Kenya is a multiparty democracy, that in Parliament there would be a minority side and a majority side, but when you match the minority side and a majority side, like it is happening in broad-based, you deny people the power to question government,” Karua said.
“I still request them to do what the law says, to enter into a political holy matrimony, which is a coalition registered under the Registrar of Political Parties, to let the vital committees sit with parties absolutely not in government so that we are able to continue to have a debate that is healthy in this government,” she added.
Raila countered by reiterating that ODM remains in the opposition, clarifying that Parliament’s role is to oversee the Executive. “Bunge yenyewe sio ati ya serikali na upinzani, majority and minority, but all of them are overseeing the Executive. So hatujaingia kwa Executive, sisi tumesema Bunge tuko katika upinzani. We are overseeing the Executive, the whole Parliament is overseeing the Executive,” he explained.
Karua, maintaining her stance, affirmed her commitment to the Kenyan people and the necessity of holding the government accountable.
“I firmly remain with the people and today we must continue questioning government, questioning its policies. We must continue saying no to abductions, saying no to executions, saying no to grand theft of public funds when basic services are suffering,” she declared.
