simply amazing, always for you.
What began as a celebration of creativity has now morphed into a national conversation about freedom of expression, state overreach, and the power of art to challenge the status quo. The 2025 Kenya Schools and Colleges National Drama and Film Festival, currently underway in Nakuru, has become a lightning rod for political and cultural controversy, thanks to a play titled Echoes of War—and the heavy-handed response to it.
The Incident: A Creative Work Meets State Resistance
On what should have been a day of rehearsal and excitement, tension erupted at Kirobon Girls High School in Nakuru, where students from Butere Girls High School were preparing to perform Echoes of War—a provocative play written by former UDA Secretary General Cleophas Malala. The play had already made headlines after it was initially barred from the festival, with allegations that the directive came from high up in the State House hierarchy.
But that wasn’t the end of the story.
In a dramatic twist, dozens of DCI officers descended on Nakuru in a reported attempt to arrest Malala, leading to chaos outside the school. The former senator was blocked from accessing the students, despite a valid High Court order that had just reinstated the play to the festival’s official program. The scene, captured by journalists on the ground, turned even more chaotic when police lobbed tear gas at members of the press, injuring at least six reporters.
Gachagua Speaks Out
The incident drew strong condemnation from various quarters, but none more vocal than former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. Taking to social media, Gachagua didn’t mince his words.
“It is a shame of unimaginable proportion that dozens of DCI detectives in five vehicles have been dispatched to arrest and intimidate Senator Cleophas Malala for writing a script that has won its way to the National Drama Festival,” Gachagua posted.
“The use of the criminal justice system to suppress creativity and social audit has reached alarming proportions.”
Gachagua’s statement emphasized what many in the public are now beginning to recognize: that the state may be dangerously close to weaponizing its institutions to silence dissent, even when that dissent comes in the form of artistic expression.
Echoes of War: Why the Play Matters
So what’s in Echoes of War that has the state so ruffled?
The play is a satirical piece written by Malala that reportedly explores themes of governance, generational struggle, and social justice. It strikes a chord with many young Kenyans, particularly Generation Z, who feel increasingly disillusioned by corruption, unemployment, and poor leadership. The work uses metaphor, symbolism, and performance to critique the current political climate—something drama and literature have historically done the world over.
By aiming to ban it, and then attempting to arrest its author, the state inadvertently gave the play—and its message—a platform far larger than any stage in Nakuru could offer.
The High Court Intervenes
In a landmark move, the High Court ruled in favor of Butere Girls’ drama students, ordering the school principal to recall them immediately and facilitate their participation in the festival. The ruling reaffirmed the constitutional rights of freedom of speech and expression, stating clearly that students have a right to participate in the national drama competition.
The court emphasized that suppressing such forms of expression violates the spirit of Kenya’s democratic fabric.
Censorship vs. Creativity: A National Dilemma
What’s playing out in Nakuru is more than a disagreement over a school drama. It’s a deeper crisis that raises uncomfortable questions for Kenyan society:
- Can artistic platforms like school drama festivals still serve as spaces for social commentary?
- To what extent should state agencies intervene in the content of school productions?
- Is Kenya sliding into an era of censorship masked as national security or public order?
Drama and the arts have always played a critical role in reflecting society’s hopes, failures, and contradictions. From Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s Ngaahika Ndeenda to modern school plays, Kenya has a long history of artistic resistance. Echoes of War follows in that tradition—and the attempt to silence it only reaffirms its importance.
Public Reactions and the Power of Attention
Ironically, the state’s aggressive actions may have achieved the opposite of what was intended. Public attention has now turned toward Echoes of War, elevating its message and drawing massive public sympathy for the students and their author.
As Gachagua rightly pointed out:
“Such action only serves to create more awareness and attention to the literary work.”
In the age of social media and digital activism, attempts to censor often result in what’s known as the Streisand Effect—where efforts to suppress information only amplify it.
What Comes Next?
As the dust begins to settle in Nakuru, Kenya finds itself at a crossroads. The events surrounding Echoes of War have laid bare the fragile balance between governance and artistic freedom. The court’s intervention, the journalists’ injuries, the public backlash, and the political condemnation have turned a school play into a national referendum on freedom of expression.
Whether the state learns from this and adopts a more open attitude toward creative expression—or doubles down with even more suppression—remains to be seen.
What is clear, however, is that Kenya’s young creatives are watching closely. And they are not afraid to speak—whether through the microphone, the pen, or the stage.