People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua has refuted claims by ODM leader Raila Odinga that she was involved in discussions regarding the proposed opposition conclave talks. Speaking on Nation FM on Wednesday, Karua clarified that while she had made a phone call to Raila earlier this month, the topic of the conclave was never on the agenda.
Karua said the first call was to pass a personal message from a mutual friend, while the second was meant to “prick his conscience” following the deadly aftermath of Saba Saba protests. “I asked him how, as someone who has fought for Kenyans all his life, his conscience sits with the continuous bloodletting,” she said. “I told him I didn’t want a discussion and left it there.”
Raila, in a recent interview on NTV, had stated that he had spoken with several opposition figures about the conclave idea, including Karua, Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, and retired President Uhuru Kenyatta. While noting that Kalonzo had adopted a “wait-and-see” stance, Raila suggested that discussions were ongoing and that he was acting as a neutral party seeking to bridge the divide between opposition leaders and the government.
Karua, however, made it clear that she declined Raila’s invitation for a face-to-face meeting to discuss the proposal, citing travel plans to the United States. “I’m not in favour of a meeting at all over those matters,” she said firmly.
Raila explained that his proposal for a conclave was made in his personal capacity and not on behalf of ODM. “I wanted Kenyans to digest it and see if they would accept it. That’s why I wanted it to be a debate,” he said, adding that President Ruto had not opposed the idea, although no formal discussion had taken place with him.
Karua’s remarks underscore apparent divisions within the opposition camp over the way forward, especially in the wake of recent youth-led protests and growing public pressure for political accountability.
