Activist Boniface Mwangi, on Sunday, June 18, dismissed the popular belief that Narc-Kenya Party Leader Martha Karua enjoyed limitless state resources during the campaign period leading up to the 2022 general election.
In an interview with Kenyans.co.ke, Boniface Mwangi shared that Martha Karua occasionally had to rely on taxis for transportation during the campaign due to a shortage of vehicles. Karua served as the running mate to former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who was the flagbearer of the Azimio la Umoja coalition, which enjoyed the backing of President Uhuru Kenyatta (Rtd).
While there is a widespread presumption that the duo received adequate facilitation, with the ticket allegedly being financed by state resources, Mwangi clarified that Karua did not benefit from such limitless backing.
“Martha Karua did not accept anything. I am not sure if she was offered. What I am sure is that there was zero state money to Karua’s candidature,” he explained stressing that he was not privy to whether Karua was offered any state resources by Uhuru’s administration.
“I do not know about Raila. I can only speak for the person I worked for," Mwangi, who was part of Karua's campaign team, added.
Karua, according to Mwangi, however, enjoyed security which was granted to all presidential candidates and their running mates.
“The security is a given. If you run for presidency, you are provided with state security,” he explained without revealing too much.
"It’s not my story to tell, but one day the truth will come out. Martha should write her book," Mwangi added in a post on his social media pages.
In May 2023, Karua alleged that the Kenya Kwanza government, which emerged victorious over her coalition in the 2022 elections, was involved in a plot to assassinate Azimio leaders. This accusation came in the wake of the state's decision to withdraw security details assigned to the coalition's top leadership.
She contended that her co-principals, Mr. Odinga and Mr. Musyoka, are eligible for State security based on their previous roles as Prime Minister and Vice President, respectively. Additionally, she maintained that the removal of their security was an unlawful action.
Inspector General of Police, Japhet Koome, confirmed the withdrawal, clarifying that the exercise was procedural. However, he slammed the opposition leaders for staging nationwide protests, which he argued were illegal.
Karua emerged victorious in the race for the Azimio running mate ticket, beating out competition from Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka. Kalonzo, a former Vice President who had previously supported Raila in the previous two elections, was initially dissatisfied with the decision to select Karua as the running mate. However, influential political figures engaged in intense lobbying to persuade Kalonzo to support the Raila-Karua ticket and accept a position as Prime Cabinet Secretary.
According to Kalonzo, Raila settled on Karua to consolidate the support of women across the country. With tensions simmering in the Azimio camp, Kalonzo retreated and contemplated launching his presidential race. However, former President Uhuru Kenyatta convinced him to shelve his ambition and back the preferred lineup.
