Silenced Stage: Butere Girls' Painful Stand for Artistic Freedom

The 63rd edition of the National Drama and Film Festivals in Nakuru City took a dark, heartbreaking turn when students from Butere Girls High School arrived not with excitement but with tears in their eyes and the weight of injustice on their shoulders.

As they set foot at the Melvin Jones Academy, grief hung in the air. Clad in uniform, the students visibly shaken, stood still and sang the national anthem, their voices cracking with emotion. A minute of silence followed, not for a fallen hero, but for their freedom of expression, which had been gagged just moments before.

Their powerful play Echoes of War had already stirred national attention. Initially banned from being performed at the nationals, it took a High Court directive for the school and scriptwriter to earn the right to present it. But what followed was a display of calculated intimidation.

Anti-riot police armed with batons and teargas canisters sealed off the venue. Members of the public and the media were locked out. The students, hoping to share their message on a national stage, were instead met with closed doors, barred trainers, and a stage stripped bare of costumes, sound, and dignity.

Festival officials ordered them to perform without an audience, without their trainers, without even a soundtrack. But instead of taking to the stage, the girls made a different kind of statement. They sang the full national anthem again this time louder, more defiant and then walked off. A performance in silence, but one that spoke volumes.

Meanwhile, in a chilling turn, the play’s scriptwriter, Cleophas Malala, former Kakamega Senator and UDA Secretary-General, was being held incommunicado at the Eldama Ravine Police Station. In a text message smuggled out, he wrote:

“As I continue being held incommunicado… the drama team performing my play, Echoes of War, is being forced to perform without costumes, soundtracks, or a proper stage set. This is not just an attack on a play. It is a deep blow to the creative spirit.”

Outside the hall, solidarity turned to chaos. Police lobbed teargas at students and supporters who had gathered peacefully. Trainers trying to assist were harassed. The girls stood their ground in the midst of it all, stoic, hurt, but unbowed.

The backlash has drawn sharp reactions from across the country. Among the voices was that of Kanu National Chairman, Gideon Moi, who condemned the state’s actions as an assault on freedom of expression.

In a hard-hitting statement, Moi said:

“Echoes of War is a pure form of artistic expression. It is a bold and thoughtful satire on broken promises, patronage politics, and the collapse of social services, reflecting the lived realities and frustrations of our young people.”

He recalled the déjà vu of 2013, when Shackles of Doom, also from Butere Girls and scripted by Malala, was similarly banned. 

“This pattern is troubling,” Moi stated. “It reflects a trend where dissent is silenced not by engagement, but through force.”

He pointed to a recent incident in Kasarani, where a violent group disrupted a place of worship attended by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, yet no police crackdown followed.

“The irony,” he said, “is inescapable. Peaceful expression is criminalized, while violence is often ignored, or worse, encouraged. Kenya prides itself on a strong Bill of Rights, but this week, security agencies were deployed to suppress a high school play.”

Moi didn’t mince his words. “This is not leadership. This is fear.”

He urged the government to pause and reflect. “Public dissatisfaction and rising economic hardship cannot be addressed through teargas and threats. We must realign our national priorities, healthcare, education, agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure and create space for the private sector to thrive and employ our youth.”

Then he closed with a line that may live long in the hearts of many:

“The young girls of Butere are not enemies of the state. They are daughters of this nation. Instead of being punished for speaking truth through art, they should be celebrated.”