Published on April 8, 2025 by Agencies for Kenya Online News
Last Updated on 1 year by Agencies for Kenya Online News
The government has confirmed that students from Butere Girls High School will perform their play, Echoes of War, at the ongoing Kenya National Drama and Film Festivals in Nakuru County.
Speaking after officially opening the 63rd edition of the annual schools and colleges festival at Melvin Jones Hall in Nakuru, Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok assured the public that the students would showcase their presentation as planned.
“There were issues raised earlier, but they have been resolved. I don’t want us to dwell on them—I can assure the public that the play will go on,” said Bitok.
Last week, Echoes of War was controversially dropped from the Western Regional winners’ gala, and the school’s drama club was instructed to send its members home, halting preparations for the national event. This was despite the school’s strong performance, having won at the Butere Sub-County level and securing third place at the Western Regional Drama Festivals.
However, on April 3, Justice Wilfrida Okwany directed Butere Girls High School Principal, Jennifer Omondi, to recall the 50 students involved in the play for participation in the Nakuru event. The judge also suspended any communication barring the school from taking part in the national festival.
The court order came after the principal was taken to court for allegedly attempting to block the students from performing a controversial play at the national level.
According to court documents obtained by Kenyaonlinenews.com, the students had advanced from the sub-county to the county level in the drama festivals thanks to their performances, including the controversial play.
However, after securing a spot at the national level, the situation took a turn when the principal sent the students home for the school holidays. Reports suggested that the school was replaced by a rival boys’ school in the competition.
The development courted controversy, with the school head coming under fire, particularly because the 50 students had paid school tuition, which included funds for extracurricular activities.
Court documents also reveal that a gala was held on March 29 and March 30, to which Butere Girls’ — one of the top-performing schools in the drama festivals — was excluded.
The ruling stated, “That Honourable Court be pleased to issue an order compelling the Respondent to facilitate and ensure the 50 students of Butere Girls High School perform the play in its original form at the National level festival as scheduled.”
Reports suggest the principal was apprehensive about the play, dubbed Echoes of War, because of its politically-charged theme.
The play’s plot revolves around the infamous ‘Gen-Z protests’ in June 2024, which saw thousands of youth take to the streets to openly oppose the government’s proposed Finance Bill.
Sources suggest the principal was concerned about the implications of performing such a play at the national level, which led to attempts to prevent her students from participating in the national event.
However, the petitioner argued that “the 50 drama students at Butere Girls’ High School will suffer irreparable damages if the Respondent is not compelled to allow them to perform their play in its original form.”
She also pointed out that the manner in which the school sent every student home on March 30 seemed suspicious, accusing the administration of causing emotional distress and humiliation to the 50 students while denying them the “opportunity to showcase their talent on a national stage.”
