We Made the Right Decision in Choosing Karua as Raila’s Running Mate – Askul
Beatrice Askul, the nominee for East Africa Community (EAC) Affairs and Regional Development, faced scrutiny during her vetting due to her involvement in the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya selection panel.
Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah raised concerns about her decision-making abilities, questioning whether the choice of Martha Karua as Raila Odinga’s running mate in the 2022 general election was the best decision.
Raila Odinga selected Martha Karua as his running mate, marking the first time a woman was chosen to run on a major political party’s presidential ticket.
“Do you think you made the right decision in the selecting of the running mate so we can ascertain your proficiency in the decision-making within the docket?” Ichung’wah posed before the National Assembly Committee on Appointment.
Askul clarified that selecting Karua as Raila’s running mate wasn’t her sole decision; it was determined by a selection panel consisting of representatives from affiliated parties.
“That was then that I was among the panelists in choosing Raila’s running mate. Sometimes you work things as they appear on the table every part that was there has their representative,” she stated.
“There was no way I would have taken over. We had issues on the table, we agreed that the parameters of someone who would choose as a running mate should be like this and those are the binding grounds which we used to vet,” she stated.
The nominee for EAC Affairs and Regional Development emphasized that the choice of Karua over Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka as Odinga’s running mate was a unified decision based on specific criteria that were most appropriate at that moment.
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“The person we got had what it took because it wasn’t an ODM decision it was all the political leadership that made the decision,” she said.
“I was the only person from ODM and the rest were the other representatives of the parties. Whatever happened happened because we had a benchmark. I was right at that time.”
Minority Leader Junet Mohammed disclosed before the vetting process that he had appointed Askul to join the selection panel. He expressed that the ODM party is content with the work she performed in her role.
“I am the one who appointed her to the committee and I was satisfied with her work. She did a fantastic job. Kalonzo was to become a president sometime ahead,” he said.
Questions emerged about Karua’s appropriateness following the election results, where President William Ruto secured a victory that was later affirmed by Kenya’s Supreme Court.
In Kirinyaga County, Ruto achieved a surprising win at the polling station of Odinga’s running mate, capturing more than twice as many votes as Karua, who secured less than one-third of the total votes.
According to the Form 34A results posted by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), at Mugumo Primary School in Gichugu Constituency, central Kenya, Ruto received 911 votes while Odinga obtained 311 votes.
We Made the Right Decision in Choosing Karua as Raila’s Running Mate – Askul
