KARUA WARNS AGAINST UHURU PRESIDENCY

Presidential hopeful Martha Karua has warned Kenyans against electing persons facing cases at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Ms Karua said if Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta is elected president, government operations would be derailed whenever he was required to attend court.

“If a person comes to you seeking a job from you and informs you that he has a case that will require him to skip work three days a week, would you employ him?” she posed.

Mr Kenyatta is seeking the presidency on a Jubilee Coalition ticket after The National Alliance (TNA) and the United Republican Party (URP) delegates endorsed his candidature.

The delegates also indentified Eldoret North MP William Ruto as his running mate.

Both men are due to stand trial for crimes against humanity at the ICC in April 2013, a month after Kenyans go to the polls.

Speaking during a tour of Mbeere in Embu County Saturday, Ms Karua urged the electorate to reject other presidential aspirants saying they had nothing new to offer.

She said her competitors had failed to end the current wave of insecurity in various parts of the country while they were still in government.

“We hear constant blasts and rampant insecurity while they are still in government. Every now and then we hear bomb blasts in Nairobi. Last evening (Friday), houses were burnt in Mathare.

"One alliance is made of the Prime Minister (Raila Odinga) and the Vice President (Kalonzo Musyoka) while the other one has a Deputy Prime Minister (Uhuru Kenyatta) and another has an assistant minister (Peter Kenneth).

"Which other government are they talking about forming so they can rectify things?” she posed.

Ms Karua said Mr Odinga and Mr Musyoka have spent the past five years exchanging words and could not be trusted to work together.

She said runaway corruption, tribalism and nepotism had thrived during their time in government and had formed alliances to ensure the vices continue.

Ms Karua said the she performed splendidly during her tenure as Justice minister and only quit after she was unable to tolerate corruption.

The Gichugu MP promised to boost security in the country, provide free primary and secondary education and quality and affordable healthcare.

Ms Karua criticised opinion polls that show he trailing her opponents saying the real poll will be done by voters on March 4, 2013.