Wahome Thuku: Karua Would Have Been Kenya’s First Female President if Raila Had Won 2022 Polls

Lawyer Wahome Thuku has said that Martha Karua would have been sworn in as Kenya’s first female president had Raila Odinga won the 2022 general election and later died in office. 

His statement followed Karua’s visit to Ida Odinga’s home in Karen on Wednesday evening, where she went to offer condolences after Raila’s death.

Thuku, through a post on social media, said Kenya’s Constitution and the Assumption of the Office of President Act would have automatically placed Karua in power as President. 

However, he pointed out that the law is not entirely clear on the swearing-in process for a Deputy President who takes over following the death of a sitting President.

“Karua would have been sworn in as the 6th President yesterday or today. The Constitution and the Assumption of the Office of President Act concentrate on the swearing-in of a President-elect, not a Deputy President succeeding a President who dies in office," Thuku noted.

He explained that in such a case, the transition of power would happen immediately, with the deceased president’s family vacating State House. 

“One effect of a President dying in office is that power vacates the family instantly. The Odinga family would have left State House very quickly. That transition is usually not very nice, but power is power,” he wrote.

Thuku added that if Raila and Karua had been elected in 2022, Kenya would have seen two of the most influential women in national leadership—the First Lady and the Deputy President. 

He also speculated that Karua, once in office, might have chosen a deputy from Raila’s Luo community, possibly a married man, to maintain political and regional balance.

Drawing comparisons to Tanzania, Thuku said Kenya would have mirrored its neighbor’s leadership structure, with a woman president and a male “First Gentleman."

He noted that while Tanzania’s president has a husband serving as the First Gentleman, the First Lady title remains with the wife of the Zanzibar president.

Martha Karua, who was Raila Odinga’s running mate under the Azimio la Umoja coalition, has continued to show strong support for the Odinga family. 

Her condolence visit came as many Kenyans reflected on Raila’s political journey and the legacy he left behind.