Butere Girls students have boycotted staging their play during the drama festivals in Nakuru,
demanding for former Kakamega Senator Clephas Malala's presence.
The girls were expected to stage their play, "Echoes of
War".
In a video seen by the Star, the girls, who are
dressed in their respective drama attires, were seen running as someone asked
where they were going.
"We want our director (Malala)," they
chanted.
A woman is heard asking them what is happening inside
the hall, as she advises them to stick together for safety.
One girl is heard saying that they were harassed by the police.
"We have rights and we want our director," she says.
The girls were then seen running again, as a clearly
exasperated lady said she did not know what was happening.
It is alleged that the girls were denied a
public address system that has been in use in the National Drama Festivals and an audience.
When given a chance to stage the play, it is alleged they were denied a string
of other basic infrastructure meant to enhance their performance, like other
schools, including microphones, props and other equipment.
Malala was on Wednesday blocked from accessing the
venue of the festival at Kirobon Girls High School in Nakuru.
At around 5 pm, he claimed that police had barricaded his vehicle and were
threatening to arrest him.
On
Thursday, Advocate Ndegwa Njiru revealed that the former senator is
being held at the Eldama Ravine Police Station.
‘Echoes of War’ explores contemporary issues like technology, governance and
social justice, particularly relevant to Gen Z, and the struggle for young
people on civil liberties.
It centres on a nation recovering from a civil war, with young citizens at
the forefront of rebuilding efforts and critiques the role of digital spaces in
governance and the power of youth in shaping societal change.
Butere Girls had been banned from staging their Gen Z-themed play on grounds
that its theme critiques the government.
The court, however, lifted the ban on April 3 when Justice Wilfrida Okwany
suspended any letter banning or barring the school from participating in the
festival.
The 2025 Kenya National Drama and Film Festival, taking place between April
7 and 15, is themed "Leveraging Technology to Nurture Talent While
Inculcating Value for Social Prosperity".
