Martha Karua Responds to Kalonzo Recognizing Ruto as President
Azimio Principal Martha Karua on Saturday denied media reports suggesting that Azimio now acknowledges President William Ruto as Kenya’s legitimately elected President.
The reports indicated that while attending a funeral service in Taita Taveta County, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka stated that the Azimio Coalition had altered its position on the rigging of the 2022 presidential election.
In a statement, the leader of the NARC Kenya Party, Raila Odinga’s running companion in the 2022 presidential election, denied the allegation.
Martha Karua did not specify whether she disagreed with Kalonzo’s views or believed the publication had misquoted Kalonzo.
The media report quoted Kalonzo as saying that he admired the President for his level-headedness during the bipartisan discussions aimed at ending the country’s political impasse.
The former vice president who co-chairs the National Dialogue Committee with National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichungw’ah noted that, unlike his deputy Rigathi Gachagua, Ruto had demonstrated statesmanship.
Kalonzo Musyoka did not respond promptly to Karua’s declaration or the media reports.
ALSO READ: ODM Governor Fernandes Barasa Denies Decamping to UDA
In the bipartisan discussions, Azimio demands an inquiry into the presidential elections of 2022. Kenya Kwanza initially refused to include this in the discussion points but subsequently agreed.
However, it is improbable that the government will accept this condition, given that President William Ruto has deemed it untenable.
The committee agreed to debate electoral justice on Wednesday, August 30. Topics include the auditing of the results of the 2022 presidential election and the restructuring and reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
The team also intends to discuss electoral representation boundary delimitation.
Raila Odinga, the leader of the opposition party Azimio, stated in January of this year that he did not recognize Ruto as President, a position that was subsequently adopted by the coalition.
“We do not recognize the Kenya Kwanza administration as a legitimate government and Ruto as the president or any official in his government,” Raila stated then.
Gachagua informed Raila in April that the government would only consider opposition complaints if the former prime minister publicly acknowledged Ruto as president.
Martha Karua Responds to Kalonzo Recognizing Ruto as President
