Karua endorses revenue boycott as form of protest
By Ascah Mwango, July 9, 2025People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua has backed the idea of starving the government of revenue as a new form of protest, saying it could be a powerful way to force change without risking lives in the streets.
Speaking in an interview with a local TV station on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, Karua said Kenyans must find creative and peaceful ways to resist what she described as a regime that thrives on the suffering of its people.
“There are many ways of forcing a regime to its knees. One of them is denying them revenue. It has been done elsewhere. The regime depends on the toil of the citizens,” Karua said.
The seasoned politician pointed to the previous day’s mass shutdown as an example of people power.
“Yesterday, for instance, they enforced a total shutdown of tools. The regime starved the citizens. I know Kenyans will come up with ideas on how to turn around this untenable situation. I’m not saying we starve ourselves, but there is a way. I’m not prescribing this, but we cannot live like this; we need to sacrifice,” she added.
Standstill
Her comments come just a day after the country was brought to a near standstill by widespread Saba Saba protests on Monday, July 7, 2025. Demonstrations broke out in major towns including Nairobi, Mombasa, and Nakuru.
Roads were blocked, public transport vanished from the streets, and businesses were shut down. In many areas, heavily armed police patrolled the streets, making it nearly impossible for daily life to go on.
Many shop owners kept their doors closed, either in solidarity with the protests or out of fear. Those who tried to open were forced to close early due to rising tensions and the threat of looting. Banks suspended operations in hotspot areas, schools and colleges remained closed, and even some hospitals scaled down their services.
The heavy-handed response from security forces left several people dead, with reports of live bullets used on demonstrators. As fears grow over the safety of continued street protests, attention is now shifting to economic resistance.