Odoyo Owidi criticises Karua’s continued activism
Renowned political analyst Odoyo Owidi has strongly criticised Martha Karua’s continued involvement in activism, urging her to step back and retire from the space due to her advancing age.
Speaking during a TV interview on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, Owidi took the opportunity to slam Karua’s persistent presence in various protest movements.
He argued that the PLP party leader is always on the frontlines, defending one cause after another without taking time to rest.
According to Owidi, Karua’s activism has spanned multiple fronts.
“In 2023, she was active during the Azimio protests. When those ended, she immediately joined the Gen Z protests. After that, she went to Uganda to stand in solidarity with Kizza Besigye. Now she’s being deported from Tanzania alongside two other activists while en route to support Tundu Lissu,” Owidi said.
Owidi claimed that Karua is constantly chasing activism, whether within Kenya or across borders. “This is someone who was in the streets with Azimio, then jumped into Gen Z protests, then Uganda, and now Tanzania. She never stops,” he further added.
He went further to argue that such relentless activism no longer has a place in modern Kenya because Kenya has become too democratic, with nothing left for activists to defend.
“These are born activists who have lost ground because Kenya has become too democratic for activism. Since they can’t find relevance locally, they are now going abroad to amplify their voices,” Owidi added.
In his conclusion, Owidi advised Martha Karua to take a step back and rest. “Her liking for activism must come to an end not because activism is bad, but because her age no longer permits activism,” he said.
Kenyan activists in Tanzania
This comes at a time when several Kenyan human rights activists faced detention and deportation while attempting to attend the treason trial of Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu in Dar es Salaam.
The activists were travelling to show solidarity with Lissu, a prominent critic of the Tanzanian government charged with treason over a speech inciting rebellion ahead of the October 2025 elections.
Among them was PLP party leader Martha Karua, who was held at Julius Nyerere International Airport on Sunday, May 18, 2025, alongside lawyers Gloria Kimani and Lynn Ngugi.
They were subjected to hours of interrogation without clear reasons and deported back to Nairobi.
Other activists who faced a similar ordeal include former chief justice Willy Mutunga, Hanifa Falsafi and and Hussein Khalid, who were also detained at the same airport and deported back to the country
