Ever wondered what it’s like to work with veteran politician Raila Odinga? Odinga has been a key figure in Kenyan politics for over 30 years, and only a select few have had the opportunity to work closely with him and benefit from his vast political experience.
One of those leaders is NARC Kenya Party Leader Martha Karua. In 2022, Raila chose Karua as his running mate. While many might have thought theirs was a newly formed alliance, that is far from the truth. The two share a political history that dates back over 20 years.
In her book, Against the Tide, Karua reflects on her experience working with Raila. She highlights two instances where they fell out, shedding light on his ability to move on despite disagreements.
The first fallout occurred in 2003 following Raila’s stance on the death of Odhiambo Mbai, the then-chairman of the Devolution Committee in the constitutional review process.
Odinga alleged that the government had assassinated Mbai but Karua did not agree with him. Terming Odinga’s statement as ‘reckless’, Karua challenged the former Prime Minister to prove his claims.
“Though I was saddened by the murder of Mr. Mbai, I regarded Mr. Odinga's statement as not only outrageous but also reckless. I challenged him on the floor of the House to substantiate his claims,” Karua stated.
At the time, both Raila and Karua were serving as Members of Parliament.
“As a Cabinet colleague, Mr. Odinga knew that we had not discussed or made a collective decision to harm, let alone murder, Mr. Mbai or anyone else.
“I believed that whoever committed the heinous crime of murdering Mr. Mbai, a champion of devolution at Bomas, could not have been acting on behalf of the government,” Karua recounted.
This disagreement escalated into a verbal exchange as the two leaders left the Parliament chambers.
Their second clash occurred during the disputed 2007 presidential election, which pitted Raila against then-President Mwai Kibaki. Karua served as Kibaki’s tallying agent at the KICC.
Despite these fallouts, the two leaders eventually reconciled and restored their working relationship.
“Mr. Odinga and I have worked on the same side as part of the nation’s progressive forces for more than three decades,” Karua noted in her book.
