Martha Karua, leader of the People’s Liberation Party (PLP) and popularly known as the “Iron Lady,” has challenged President William Ruto to complete a single term in office and pave the way for her to lead the country, also for one term.
Speaking on Friday, March 14, during the burial of Lt Col (Rtd) George Were in Sondu, Nyakach Sub-county, Karua announced her intention to run for the presidency in the 2027 General Election and said she would soon return to engage the Luo community in political dialogue.
“I will be contesting for the presidential seat in 2027. I will come back so that we can speak. Let Ruto work for one term, and I will also go for one term,” Karua declared.
She urged Kenyans, particularly the youth, to resist manipulation by politicians seeking to incite unrest for personal gain. Karua warned young people against accepting money to participate in violence, saying many have lost their lives in conflicts they neither understood nor benefited from.
“I want to request all Kenyans, while here in Nyakach, that if any politician gives you money to fight, don’t. Take the money if you must, but do not start a fight. Let those politicians send their own sons and daughters, not peasants’ children,” she said, drawing applause from mourners.
Karua paid glowing tribute to the late Lt Col Were, describing him as a disciplined and highly professional officer who served as her pilot during the 2022 presidential campaign. She recalled that he ferried her across the country under difficult weather conditions for more than two months.
“George was very professional. He loved people and did his job with great dedication. He was my assigned pilot during the 2022 elections from May 16. He flew me across Kenya for two and a half months, even through heavy rains,” she said.
After the funeral in Nyakach, Karua proceeded to Kamenya Village in Kisumu East Sub-county to mourn Salmon Orimba, Kisumu County Executive Committee Member for Public Service, who was also laid to rest the same day.
Her remarks come amid intensifying early political positioning ahead of the 2027 polls, with opposition figures increasingly signalling readiness to challenge the incumbent administration.
