PLP Leader Martha Karua says she will serve for only one term if elected president

People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua has pledged to serve for only one term if elected president in 2027. She noted that five years are enough to lay the foundation for Kenya’s prosperity and encourage smooth transitions of power.

Speaking at the party’s first National Delegates Conference at Ufungamano House in Nairobi, Karua said her one-term commitment is meant to shift politics away from personal control and show that leaders do not have to cling to power to make an impact.

“So that others don’t think ‘one term’ is an insult, I stand before you to tell you that we must demystify power in Kenya, in East Africa and in Africa. People get to power, and they refuse to leave power. Martha Karua, yours truly, is seeking a single term; one term,” she said.

“I believe that in five years, it’s possible to lay a foundation. Nobody will ever finish the job of making Kenya prosperous. You lay a foundation and you wait for the next team to come and push it further.”

Karua’s remarks echoed the core philosophy of the PLP, which was quietly formed in 2022 and describes itself as a movement of ordinary Kenyans determined to break from tribal politics and political dynasties.

In its statement ahead of the conference, PLP framed itself as a people-powered movement.

The Ufungamano House gathering brought together senior opposition figures, including Rigathi Gachagua, Kalonzo Musyoka, Justin Muturi, Eugene Wamalwa, and Mithika Linturi, highlighting efforts to forge a united opposition and eventually agree on a single flagbearer for the 2027 elections.

Karua also highlighted that while opposition leaders will continue to grow their individual presidential ambitions, they have agreed to eventually unite behind a single candidate and establish a fair formula for joint candidates in all elective positions.

“We must march on together as a united opposition. We have promised ourselves with my brothers here that each one of us will grow their candidature as a presidential candidate, but at the end of the day, we will subordinate our ambitions for the interest of Kenyans. We will sit down and produce one candidate.

And when we come to you on the grassroots for all the six seats, we will find a formula, a fair formula to find a single candidate for all the six seats,” she said.