'I had to grab the mic': Karua recalls fighting for her space in Ford Asili

Kenyan women aspiring to elective seats have been cautioned to carefully weigh their party choices if they want any chance of success.

According to People Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua, most female politicians’ careers die prematurely or remain as mere decorations, showcased as symbols of gender inclusivity, solely because of the political parties on whose tickets they choose to run.

The senior counsel emphasised the need for women to scrutinise their parties, ask hard questions and, if need be, make decisive moves to survive the treacherous political terrain, particularly for women leaders.

She spoke at the Women and Youth Convention 2026 in Nairobi last week, where she was the chief guest. The event, themed ‘Enhancing Inclusive Electoral Governance through Women- and Youth-led Advocacy and Policy Engagements', was convened by the Kenya Women Parliamentary Association (Kewopa).

Thirty-four years ago, at the start of her career as a young female politician, she had to scramble for a microphone just to get a chance to address the crowd at a rally organised by her party at the time. Even before she could recover from the spectacle, the party shortchanged her in favour of her male opponent during a nomination, the PLP leader revealed.

Read: Why many women don’t run for political office

Recounting her political experience, Karua told the audience, which included women leaders, youth groups, CSOs, local administrators, and electoral stakeholders that she was then a member of Ford Asili.

The party had massive popularity. Former Cabinet Minister Kenneth Matiba had just returned to Kenya from London and had been fronted to contest the presidency against President Daniel Moi of the Kenya African National Union (Kanu), the PLP leader said.