People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua has declared that she will only serve a single term if elected president in 2027, saying five years are enough to set Kenya on the path to prosperity and ensure smooth transitions of power.
Speaking during the party’s first National Delegates Conference at Ufungamano House in Nairobi, Karua said her decision is aimed at breaking the culture of leaders clinging to office and showing that political power should not be treated as personal property.
"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 told the delegates on Friday.
Karua emphasized that while no leader can fully achieve prosperity alone, a strong foundation can be built in five years and carried forward by the next government.
"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," she said.
Her remarks reflected the central philosophy of the PLP, a movement established in 2022 to champion people-driven politics and distance itself from tribal alignments and political dynasties.
Ahead of the event, the party described itself as a movement powered by ordinary citizens.
The Ufungamano House meeting drew senior opposition leaders, among them Rigathi Gachagua, Kalonzo Musyoka, Justin Muturi, Eugene Wamalwa, and Mithika Linturi.
Their presence underscored growing efforts to forge a united opposition and eventually settle on a single presidential candidate for the 2027 race.
Karua explained that opposition leaders will continue building their individual political bases but will later merge their ambitions for the greater good.
"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.