Martha Karua, the Minister of Justice in Kibaki’s government, is being touted as a possible candidate for the post of Deputy Prime Minister in the camp of Party of National Unity (PNU). In a country where tribalism is a big issue, the question that arises is whether those in PNU pushing for her Deputy Premiership understand the real impact of appointing Karua to that coveted position.
This is because Karua is a Kikuyu, just like Kibaki who is the President. Her arrogance aside, it must be noted that PNU is a conglomeration of a handful of political parties from different parts of the country represented by different tribal chieftains. Isn’t there any alternative candidate PNU could push for this position apart from Martha?
There is the argument that there should be “gender balance” in the distribution of top positions both in ODM and PNU. This is absolutely necessary because gender balance in political appointments is part of the democratic struggle in Kenya. For PNU, Karua could be a better candidate because she has been the most prominent woman who has been visible and who has been defending Kibaki no matter what until Kofi Annan called the two principals to decide the fate of Kenya.
Playing a dexterous political game, Karua has now put her theatrics witnessed before the peace deal behind her to focus on the future. Although Raila was her worst political enemy (judging by her militancy in arguing that Raila needed to go to court over the post election imbroglio), she has forgotten the past and has had both lunch and supper with Raila.
The winning and dinning with Raila last week was, in a way, a moment of acceptance by Karua that there are some stuff she cannot change and that Raila is not just theoretically a possible Prime Minister in the Grand Coalition but the actual PM designate.
There are signals in the Internet that appointing Karua the Deputy PM in the PNU camp will amount to confirming Kikuyu tribalism especially in politics. The apparent logic is that since Kibaki, the President, hails from Mount Kenya, the Deputy PM should not hail from the same region, an argument which makes a lot of sense in tribal Kenya. Under the circumstances, should Karua be touted by PNU as a possible filler of this post or should she be left to cool on the touch lines?
If it is a question of gender balance, does it mean that there are no other competent women in PNU other than Karua who can take the post? With her known and high level of arrogance (sometimes laced with strong anti-Imperialist rhetoric) and undiplomatic language in her public outbursts, won’t Karua literally grow horns if she is appointed DPM and probably diarrhea on the heads of PNU and other MPs?
If you ask me, I think that Martha Karua should take it easy with her ambitions on the Deputy Premiership to focus on the future because the current political equations are heavily weighed against her.
William Ruto, the ODM pentagon member, has already read the writing on the wall and put a brake on pressure by his fanatic supporters who wanted him to go for the post on ODM side. He has declared that he will support Musalia Mudavadi because this is what is expedient at the moment.
The political equations did not favor Ruto, prompting him to do the right thing. Someone whom Karua can listen to should advise the maverick lady on this because there is always another opportunity. She has already exposed herself as arrogant and insisting on going for the Deputy Premiership will only work to expose her as “greedy”.
Okoth Osewe
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