Azimio la Umoja One Kenya presidential running mate Martha Karua has stated her main task should Raila Odinga win the August 9 General Election amidst calls for revival of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).
Speaking to Citizen TV on Monday, May 16, Karua made it clear that her role will strictly follow the rule of law despite being at the center of reforms as assigned by the former Prime Minister during her unveiling at the Kenyatta International Conference Center (KICC).
The Narc Kenya party leader maintained that BBI was thrown out on grounds of illegalities but explained that if Azimio wins the August 9 polls, she will be willing to steer the constitutional reforms agenda as enshrined in the constitution.
"In my acceptance, I said I will take up that supportive role in accordance with the law. I will be supportive to do things the way they should be done. It will be my duty to my principal, Kenyans, and the country," Karua explained.
The former Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister in the late President Mwai Kibaki's administration strongly opposed BBI, which was being pushed by Odinga and the Head of State, Uhuru Kenyatta.
Through a legal battle that was settled by the Supreme Court, the former Gichugu Member of Parliament maintained that the process was flawed.Her spirited efforts saw BBI declared unconstitutional, denting hopes of Kenyatta and his handshake brother Odinga to emend the country's supreme law.
While unveiling his partial cabinet, Odinga, a second liberation crusader, assigned Karua to be the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Constitutional Affairs should they form the next government.
“As a co-worker I want her to finalise the work of making our Constitution. I want this done because when the late Kibaki and I admitted that our constitution was a work in progress… Because I am a man of my word, I will task her with the assignment of completing what we started and I am persuaded that she has the right pair of hands to accomplish this task,” Odinga stated amid cheers at KICC.
While pledging her loyalty to the course, Karua maintained that she is ready to take up the role and commit all her energy toward ironing out some of the thorny issues in the 2010 Constitution.
"Baba has allocated me duties in advance and I want to confirm that I am ready, able, and willing for those duties, I will not let you down. I will be steadfast, diligent in pursuit of our shared dreams and pursuits," she stated in her maiden speech after being picked as the Azimio's number two.
She added, "I believe in my heart of hearts that if we can erode the power of corruption in our midst we can finally cross the Rubicon to the promised land."
At the same time, Martha dismissed claims that her ticket will not be salable in the Mt Kenya region as perceived by some individuals.
"I hit the ground running. I have gone to most of the counties in Central. Azimio la Umoja is gaining ground and I am saying watch this space because Mt Kenya is beckoning," she stated.
Karua, who vied for the presidency in 2013 and contested for the Kirinyaga gubernatorial seat in 2017, lashed out at the Azimio opponents, saying they were afraid of how much ground Odinga was gaining in Central Kenya.
"When you see competition getting people to disrupt meetings, it tells you they are afraid, very afraid of what is happening within the mountain,” Karua remarked.
