In a complete turnaround from the radical position that she once held so fiercely even as the country teetered on the brink of complete collapse in the face of bloodshed and unrest, the NARC Kenya leader has now come out, almost fifteen years later, to admit that indeed, the Kibaki regime misused police during the post-election violence.
The once hardliner Kibaki supporter, and Justice Minister in the previous regime, had always maintained, through the troubled years of 2007/2008 that it was the Orange Democratic Movement party which caused unrest in the country by bulldozing and bullying their way into government through use of war and violence. She always held the then opposition responsible for the horrific and bloody scenes that were witnessed during and in the aftermath of the election, throughout the country.
Yesterday however, in sentiments that would, once upon a time, have been considered impossible, the Linda Katiba vanguard conceded that indeed, security forces were misused during the chaotic 2007-2008 period.
Martha Karua was appearing, albeit virtually, on Citizen TV’s morning show, Daybreak, which was hosted by Sam Gituku.
She was expounding on a point about how Kenyan agencies were in need of institutional reforms, and gave the example of American agencies’ exemplary conduct, when even Trump’s party mate, and Georgia State official turned down the then president’s request, and order, to manipulate the poll numbers. Going ahead to praise ex Vice-president Mike Pence for the same resolve, she then lambasted the Kenyan police for being biased, and gave the example of Kiambu County governor, James Nyoro, who she said, ought to have been arrested, had it been a fair country.
Sam Gituku then asked her if it hadn’t been the case that the police were misused in 2007, to which she agreed, but went on to say that this happened because the police were under the beck and call of politicians, unlike now when the service’s independence was guaranteed under the present constitution.
A number of viewers attacked her for having changed her tune over the years, to which she unapologetically said that she has always defended the Constitution, and was defending the constitution that existed at the time.
https://www.facebook.com/471613413216301/videos/459157651870122
