Martha Wangari Karua is a prominent Kenyan politician and a respected figure in the country’s legal and political spheres. She is a trailblazer in Kenyan politics and law and has championed women’s rights & transparency in governance. She was born on 22nd September 1957 making her 65 Years Old.
Martha Karua Biography
| Full Names: | Martha Wangari Karua |
| Known as: | The Iron Lady |
| Date of Birth: | 22nd September 1957 |
| Age: | 65 Years Old |
| Place of Birth: | Kirinyaga County |
| Place of Growth: | Kimunye now Gichugu Constituency |
| Profession: | Law Practitioner, Politician, Senior Counsel, Advocate |
Martha Karua Family
Martha Karua is the 2nd born in a family of 8. (4 boys & 4 girls).
Her mother is known as Josephine Wanjiru Karua and her father is known as Jackson Karua.
Her mother was previously a teacher before she became a housewife after marriage.
Martha Karua was named after her grandmother who was known as Martha Wangare.
Her sister is known as Esther W. Karua.
She is also a mother of 2 children: A Son and a Daughter.
She is also a grandmother to many.
Martha Karua Marriage and Husband
Martha Karua once said in an interview that marriage didn’t work out, she moved out right after leaving the maternity room.
Martha Karua Education
Martha Karua attended various primary schools including:-
- Mugumo Primary School located in Kirinyaga – Kenya.
- Kabare Girls Boarding School located in Kirinyaga – Kenya.
- St. Michael’s Boarding School located in Kerugoya – Kenya.
She later attended various secondary schools including:-
- Kiburia Girls Secondary School located in Kirinyaga – Kenya.
- Ngiriambu Girls Secondary School located in Kirinyaga – Kenya.
- Karoti Girls Secondary School located in Kirinyaga – Kenya.
(Where she passed her East Africa School Certificate)
- Moi Girls High School located in Nairobi – Kenya.
(Where she did her A levels exams)
Martha Karua later pursued her law degree from the University of Nairobi (U.O.N) from the year 1977 to 1980.
She then enrolled at the Kenya School of Law for her admission to the bar.
Martha Karua Law Practice / Journey
Martha Karua kicked off her law practice in 1981 working as a District Magistrate rising to a Senior Resident Magistrate in Makadara, Nakuru and Kibera Law Courts.
She then left to start her own law firm Martha Karua and Co. Advocates in 1987 which she ran until 2002.
Her high-profile cases included:-
- The high treason trial of former political detainee: Kiogi Wa Wamwere.
- Deceased former Member of Parliament: Mirugi Kariuki.
- As well as similar cases involving the current Azimio la Umoja Presidential Candidate and former political detainee: Raila Odinga.
She was also part of the activists that pushed for the second liberation.
Martha Karua Political Career
Martha Karua was a member of the Ford Wasili party led by deceased former cabinet minister Kenneth Matiba.
She left the party protesting the lack of democracy in its election nominations leaving her sole opponent Geoffrey Karekia Kariithi to be declared the winner.
She later joined the Democratic Party of Kenya led by Mwai Kibaki.
She joined elective politics in 1992 after she won the 1992 General Elections on the Democratic Party ticket as a Member of Parliament (M.P) for Gichugu Constituency in Kirinyaga.
She defeated veteran politician Geoffrey Karekia Kariithi.
She later won the seat in another three consecutive elections:-
| Election Year | Winner | Party |
| 1992 | Martha Karua | Democratic Party |
| 1997 | Martha Karua | Democratic Party |
| 2002 | Martha Karua | NARC Kenya |
| 2007 | Martha Karua | PNU |
She once walked out of a function staged by former President Daniel Moi while he was speaking.
It was an open defiance against his continuous reign of power among other issues.
She would later team up with other opposition figures in 2002 to found The Narc Party (National Alliance Rainbow Coalition).
The party later defeated the Grand Old Party (KANU) bringing its 40-year-old political grip on power to an end in the 2002 General Elections with Mwai Kibaki as President.
She became the Minister of Water Resources Management and Development in the Kibaki Government and she’s credited with leading major reforms in the water sector.
She once mentioned that she expected to be named Minister of Justice not Minister Of Water.
She wasn’t really happy with the decision as it made her feel sidelined.
She was later appointed as Minister of Justice, National Cohesion and Constitutional Affairs on 7th December 2005.
Karua was in the spotlight as a fierce defender of President Kibaki’s 2007 disputed election victory.
She would accuse the opposition then led by Raila Odinga of having planned the 2007 Post Election Violence which she controversially referred to as ethnic cleansing.
She was often referred to as one of the hardliners in the Kibaki’s Corner.
She was involved in the Kofi Annan-mediated talks that birthed the government of national unity.
It also led to the signing of a power-sharing agreement between President Mwai Kibaki and Opposition leader & Prime Minister: Raila Amollo Odinga.
She remained in her post as Minister of Justice in the grand coalition cabinet announced on 13th April 2008.
Martha Karua later resigned from the post on 6th April 2009 alleging that she was kept in the dark about the appointment of new judges to the bench.
She said that she could have resigned earlier on the day the appointments were made.
“I realised I needed to communicate my feelings to my immediate family, to my party members and my friends.”
Thus she waited until Monday, 6th April 2009.
She also mentioned that she had no difficulty in deciding to resign.
She became the 3rd woman to ever run for the presidency in Kenya after Charity Ngilu and Wangari Maathai who ran in the 1997 general elections.
She eyed for the presidency in 2013 under the Narc Kenya Party ticket despite popular calls by key Mt. Kenya leaders to rally behind then deputy president: Uhuru Kenyatta.
She finished 6th with 43,881 total votes with Uhuru Kenyatta finishing 1st with 6,173,433 total votes.
Martha Karua’s and Uhuru’s rivalry would pursue into the first jubilee term as she joined the Raila Odinga lead OKOA Kenya Amendment Push.
She however changed her mind in the runup to the 2017 Polls where she showed support for Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election.
She later vied for the Kirinyaga County gubernatorial seat in the 2017 general elections which she lost to the current Kirinyaga governor: Anne Waiguru.
She garnered 122,091 total votes while Anne Waiguru garnered 161,373 total votes.
She unsuccessfully challenged the election results to the Supreme Court and then further to the Arusha-based East African Court of Justice suing the Kenyan government for the failure of its Judicial arm to dispense justice in its petition.
She objected the 2020 BBI (Building Bridges Initiative) Constitutional Amendment Bill which was pushed by President Uhuru Kenyatta & Raila Odinga.
She briefly joined the One Kenya Alliance (OKA) comprised of Wiper leader: Kalonzo Musyoka and KANU Chairman: Gideon Moi.
Moses Wetangula and Musalia Mudavadi had already left OKA.
She eventually left before joining Raila Odinga in Azimio La Umoja on 23rd March 2022 which ultimately merged with the OKA team to the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Alliance / Coalition.
She was then nominated by Raila Odinga on 14th May 2022 to be his running mate in the August 2022 General Election which she accepted.
She was a step away from making history as the First Kenyan Female Deputy President.
Unfortunately, his candidate; Raila Amollo Odinga of Azimio One Kenya Coalition Party lost the August 2022 presidential elections to the current deputy president / President-elect: Dr. William Samoei Ruto.
William Ruto garnered 7,176,141 total votes while Raila Odinga garnered 6,942,930 total votes with George Wajackoyah having 61,969 total votes and David Mwaure Waihiga having 31,987 total votes.
| Position | Candidates | Total Votes | Party |
| 1st | Dr. William Samoei Ruto | 7,176,141 (50.49%) | UDA |
| 2nd | Raila Amollo Odinga | 6,942,930 (48.85%) | Azimio Coalition |
| 3rd | Prof. George Luchiri Wajackoyah | 61,969 (0.44%) | Roots |
| 4th | David Mwaure Waihiga | 31,987 (0.23%) | Agano |
2022 General Elections Petition
The Azimio team later filed a petition to the Supreme Court on 22nd August 2022 against the Electoral body – IEBC (Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission) Chairperson and its Commissioners, President-Elect:- William Ruto and Deputy President-Elect:- Rigathi Gachagua.
The Supreme Court had 14 days to hear the case and deliver a verdict.
They delivered a verdict on 5th September 2022 where they upheld William Ruto’s Presidential win.
They found no evidence of rigging, irregularities or manipulation of results.
Martha Karua Awards & Recognition
Martha Karua was recognised as a Human Rights Monitor by Human Rights Watch in 1991.
She was then awarded by the Federal of Kenya Women Lawyers (FIDA) for advancing the cause of women in December 1995.
In 1999, She was awarded two awards:
- The 1999 Kenya Jurist of the Year by the Kenya Section of the International Commission of Jurists.
- The Legal Practitioners Due Diligence Award by The Law Society of Kenya (LSK).
Martha Karua and Fr. Dominic Wamugunda
Martha Karua once gained attention after her and a Catholic Priest named Father Dominic Wamugunda were carjacked and robbed on 6th December 2003.
It happened late at night while en route to her house in Wamugunda’s car.
When she was questioned in Parliament by MPs, she said she was under no obligation to provide any explanation for why she was in his car and what she was doing at the time of the carjacking.
She was robbed Ksh. 13,000/=, her mobile phone and her gold earrings.
Security guards were not present when the crime occurred. She further stated that she only had security when she felt she needed them.
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