Playwright and creative director Martin Abuya tells stories that reflect the realities of everyday life. Through his company, Igiza Arts Production, he stages productions that blend humour, drama and societal realities.
His work, Last Seen, will go on stage on May 2 and 3 at the Kenya National Theatre (KNT) main auditorium. The play portrays the growing disconnection in modern friendships.
“We live in a time where we are constantly online and in group chats, yet many people feel more isolated than ever,” Abuya says.
This year alone, the company is putting up four productions at the KNT main auditorium, with Rings and Red Flags over the Valentine’s weekend which ushered in their production year.
Founded in 2017 alongside producer Wreiner Arnold Mandu and co-producer Paul Bett, Igiza Arts was created to produce socially conscious theatre grounded in local experiences.
“We felt there was a gap for theatre that truly reflected the everyday experiences of our young people. Many stories on stage didn’t always capture our language, humour, or the social and economic realities people are navigating today,” he says.
In 2017, they opened their first staging with Till Something Does Us Part, which depicted the fragile nature of love and commitment within marriage.
It follows a newlywed couple who find themselves in a counsellor’s office shortly after their wedding, where unresolved issues, buried emotions, and hidden secrets begin to surface. The story examines themes of trust, honesty, communication, and whether love can truly survive when confronted with uncomfortable truths.
Throughout 2025, they packed the auditoriums for the staging of Threads of Trust, Fractured Ties, The Anointed Cartel, and The Last Confession. Threads of Trust explored the delicate nature of trust in relationships, and Fractured Ties examined family and personal relationships strained by secrets, misunderstandings, and unresolved past conflicts. Anointed Cartel portrayed how politicians and the clergy form a partnership to manipulate congregants for their own wealth and political benefits. While The Last Confession confronted the consequences of secrets in the judicial system.
Abuya won Best Playwright – Original Script for Flight 1963 and Best Theatre Company at the Kenya Theatre Awards in 2025.
As they stage plays at the KNT, they created Igiza Academy to train and mentor pre-teens and teenagers, and last year, they put up a children’s play titled The Garden of Peace, and they are preparing for an adaptation of Sarafina as part of their quarterly holiday programme for younger performers. They also produce a podcast titled The Curtain Call.
Abuya’s journey into theatre began early. His mother, an English literature teacher, introduced him to African literature while he was still in primary school. But his passion deepened in high school at Moi High School Kabarak under the late playwright and director Barnabas Kasigwa.
“Under his guidance and prowess, I was privileged to perform at the national stages while in high school,” he recalls.
Later at Strathmore University, Abuya joined the Strathmore Drama Society, where exposure to classical playwrights such as Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, Henrik Ibsen and Anton Chekhov sharpened his craft.
As both writer and creative director, Abuya begins with the story before thinking about the audience, asking what conversation the play is starting and why it matters now while making audiences laugh and reflect.
“If our productions can nurture new talent and contribute to the growth of contemporary theatre, that would be a legacy worth leaving,” he says.