People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua has called on Kenyans to stay vigilant, warning that the suppression of democratic freedoms seen in some neighboring countries could easily spread to Kenya if citizens remain passive.

Speaking at the burial of PLP member Emy Siganga in Matende, Malava Constituency, Karua invoked a familiar Kenyan proverb to drive her point home. “Ukona nyumba ya mwenzako ikichomeka tahadhari..hiyo moto inaweza kufika kwako,” she said.

Karua was reacting to the outcome of the just-concluded by-elections, which the opposition has strongly disputed. Karua revealed that opposition leaders will soon hold talks to analyze what went wrong and decide the next course of action, adding that seeking legal redress remains firmly on the table.

“We are going to sit down, look at everything that happened, and chart the way forward,” she said. Karua’s criticism followed what she described as blatant vote-buying during the campaigns. “sijawahi kuona uchaguzi kama huu! watu wanapatiwa magodoro, lakini nataka kumwambia mwananchi, usipende godoro kuliko haki. Leo unaweza kulala mahali pazuri lakini kesho ukienda hospitali ukose huduma,” she said.

Karua emphasized that the Kenyan Constitution places ultimate power in the hands of the people, not a few individuals in government. “Nataka Wakenya wajue wanaweza kutumia katiba kujilinda,” she said.