People's Liberation Party leader Martha Karua has raised doubts over the credibility of recent by-elections, insisting that the results could not reflect the true will of the voters.
Speaking in an interview on Friday at Radio Generation, she argued that in a genuinely free and fair contest, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) would struggle even to secure a minor County Assembly seat.
“I have not received any report from the ground yet concerning the by-election which took place on Thursday, but I know for sure, yes, that in a free and fair elections, it is difficult for UDA to win even an MCA seat,” Karua said.
She added that she is awaiting detailed reports from local observers before drawing any conclusions.
Karua cited the example of a constituency where a Democratic Party candidate ran unopposed after the PLP candidate withdrew in favor of the DP contender.
She claimed that the UDA candidate ranked far below the DP, an independent, and the PLP candidates. “Yes, the UDA candidate was not even number three… There’s no way voters could have changed overnight,” she noted.
The PLP leader also warned Kenyans about attempts to undermine the electoral process, saying that manipulation in by-elections is common but would be far harder during general elections, where more than 53,000 polling stations would make abuse on a large scale difficult.
She urged citizens to be vigilant: “Eyes vote and guard the vote, because this manipulation of the electoral process is to make people lose hope and see that voting is futile. That is what we must fight against.”
Karua did not hesitate to criticize what she described as rising goonism and intimidation, claiming that hired thugs, often escorted by police, are being used to influence outcomes. “Kenya has become Haiti. Goons reign free, escorted by the police, so goons are in charge,” she said.
Beyond electoral concerns, Karua addressed broader governance issues, including health care. She condemned the current system implemented by the Ruto administration, arguing that it replaced the old NHIF system, which had challenges but was functional.
“The Ruto administration removed a system that was working. It had its issues which could be rectified. Removed, it brought in something that is not working for the people… People knew NHIF was working. Their personal experiences… SHA we know it’s not working?”
The PLP leader called for unity among Kenyans to reclaim the country from political manipulation and poor governance. “As PLP Party, we are calling upon Kenyans to unite so that we liberate the country. Tungana tujikomboe kama Kenya. Unite, liberate. We need to liberate ourselves from electoral manipulation, from abuse of our resources, to rescue ourselves from the denial or lack of access to health,” Karua said.
