Quick Facts

Martha Karua is a well-known Kenyan politician and social justice activist. She was once a long-distance Member of Parliament for the Gichugu Constituency. Also She returned to the High Court as an advocate and served as Minister of Justice until 2009, when she resigned. Martha has worked for women’s rights and protection.

Currently, Martha Karua is Raila Odinga’s running mate in the upcoming general elections.

How much is Martha Karau’s Net Worth and Salary in 2022?

Martha Karua, a Kenyan politician, with an estimated net worth of Kshs 150 million. Karua declared her net worth during the July 2022 Deputy Presidential Debate. She amassed her money through her legal practice. Her political career has also contributed significantly to her net worth.

Biography and Early Life

Martha Karua was born on September 22, 1957, in the Kirinyaga District of Kenya’s Central Province. After her birth, her parents, Jackson Karua, her father, and Josephine Wanjiru Karua, named her Martha Wangari Karua. Martha grew up in a family of eight, four girls and four boys, as the second child.

Education

Martha grew up and, when the time came, enrolled at Mugumo Elementary School, where she completed her primary education. In Keruguya, she enrolled in Kabare Girls Boarding School and St. Michael’s Boarding School. She was later transferred to several high schools in Kirinyaga County, including Kiburia Girls Secondary School, Ngiriambu Girl’s Secondary School, and Karoti Girl’s High School, where she earned her East African Secondary School Certificate. Later, she decided to pursue an A level, which she obtained at Nairobi Girl’s Secondary School.

After finishing secondary school, she enrolled at the University of Nairobi to study law. She enrolled once more at the Kenya School of Law to further her legal education.

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Personal Affairs: Husband, Family, and Children

In terms of her personal life, Martha was married to Dr. Njoka. However, they split, and she is currently seeing no one. Martha and Dr. Njoka were blessed with two children, Wawira, her daughter, and Njoka, her son. Albeit she is not now in a relationship, she was formerly involved in a relationship with Court of Appeal Judge, Justice GBM Kariuki, though the relationship did not survive long. He was arrested for scandals and accused with murder after divorcing Kariuki.

Martha claimed in an interview that she is not interested in marriage or any type of relationship.

Career

Martha began her career as a jurist after graduating as a magistrate in several courts such as Nakuru, Kibera, and Makadara, where she was praised for her meticulous discernment. Martha is against a political movement. Kenya was ruled by the Kenya African National Union [KANU] at the time, which was commanded by late President Daniel Arap Moi. She then became a member of Kenneth Matiba’s

. She later joined the Democratic Party of Kenya (DP), where she won the Party nominations/ticket and went on to win the election as Gichugu MP against incumbent Geoffrey Karekia Kariithi in December 1992, liberating Gichugu people from the Kareithi – Nahashon Njuno feud. Karua was the first woman lawyer to be elected to Parliament and the MP for the Gichugu constituency. In 1993, she was elected as the Democratic Party’s legal affairs secretary.

Following that, she declined the position of Shadow Minister for Culture and Social Services, which conflicted with her position as National Secretary for Constitutional Affairs (an elected position that made her the party’s official spokesperson on legal matters), though she chose to resign for that position.

More on her Career

In May 2022, presidential contender Raila Odinga announced Karua as his running mate, making her the first woman in Kenyan history to run for a major political party’s ticket. This means that if Raila Odinga, the leader of the [Azimio la Umoja Coalition], gets elected President of Kenya in August 2022, Karua will be the first Kenyan woman Deputy President and the highest ranked Kenyan woman in history.

Achievements and Awards

Karua has received numerous honours throughout her career. Human Rights Watch designated her as a human rights monitor. She was honored again in 1995 by the Federation of Kenya Women Lawyers [F.I.D.A] for championing the cause of women. In addition, in 1999, the Kenya Section of the International Commission of Jurists named her Kenya Jurist of the Year. The Law Society of Kenya [LSK] presented her with the Legal Practitioners Due Diligence Award in the same year and month.

Conclusion

Matha Karua is well-known in Kenya for her dedication to campaigning for women’s rights. She is now the running mate for Right Honourable Former Prime Minister of Kenya Raila Amolo Odinga’s Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party.