Ms. Martha Karua MP earlier today resigned her position as Minister for Justice, Constitutional Affairs and National Cohesion; the announcement was made at a press conference called after a Narc-Kenya meeting. She had been Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs since 2005.  

She gave her reasons: 

 If I feel as a Minister I am not helping Kenyans, then it is not a must I remain one.

As the comment indicates, Ms Karua has recently had a hard time in the discharge of her duties. A senior civil servant seconded to the National Cohesion effort resigned not long ago, claiming that the coalition government was uncommitted to the task of reconciliation. Some days ago, the President appointed five judges to the High Court, apparently without the-then Minister's knoweldge or approval. He also backed the Chief Justice, Evans Gicheru, in the face of Ms. Karua's less favourable view. 

Ms Karua, a long time ally of the President, and foremost among his defenders in the days immediately after the disputed January election, is the chair-person of Narc-Kenya; she has been on the campaign trail for much of the year, pledging a run for President at the 2012 elections. This appeared to displease the President, as he suggested soon after that the campaigning for 2012 had best stop. The relationship was apparently further damaged on the appointment of Gatundu South and KANU's Uhuru Kenyatta as Deputy Prime Minister, a position Karua had sought.

Parts of the other branch of the coalition government were displeased by her sponsorship of the censure motion against the Agriculture Minister, William Ruto. Somewhat inconsistently, if reports are to be believed, some MPs were also preparing a censure motion against Ms Karua on the ground that she had not done enough to institute reforms.