In April 2021, presidential front runners William Ruto and Raila Odinga picked their 2022 presidential running mates from the vote-rich Mt Kenya region
Ruto picked Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua while the former Prime Minister named Narc Kenya party leader Martha Karua as his running mate.
Raila, who is giving his fifth and presumed last presidential attempt, picked Karua as he scrambled for a share of the huge Mt Kenya voting bloc which has voted against him in his previous four attempts.
On Tuesday, June 21, Raila Odinga’s presidential running mate made a special appeal to the Mt Kenya residents to vote for President Uhuru Kenyatta’s handshake partner Raila Odinga.
“I know people from this region have not been voting for (Raila) Odinga over the years. But this time I ask you to be generous enough and give him votes because of me,” Martha Karua said.
Karua who was speaking in her home county of Kirinyaga drummed up support for the longest-serving opposition leader saying that he has the solutions to Kenyan problems.
She promised the Mt Kenya locals that she will fully represent them under the Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya government that would be formed by Raila Odinga
“I shall fully represent you in Odinga’s government and therefore cast your votes in favour of the Azimio presidential candidate,” she said.
This comes barely days after the former Gichugu MP asked politicians from the Mt Kenya region aligned to Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya alliance not to be intimidated but to sell Raila’s State House bid or quit.
“You are either with us or not. There are some politicians within Azimio who are asking for their votes but when it comes to the presidential race, they tell voters to decide for themselves and we will not allow that,” Martha Karua said.
