Butere Girls High School students faced a disheartening setback at the Kenya National Drama and Film Festival in Nakuru on Thursday, when their eagerly awaited performance of Echoes of War was thwarted by logistical and administrative hurdles.
The girls, who took the stage at Melvin Jones Academy around 8:00 AM EAT, were denied access to a public address system—a standard feature of the festival—silencing their chance to showcase their skills and compete as planned.
Instead of delivering the play, which reflects the 2024 Gen Z protests and critiques governance, the students sang the National Anthem in an emotional display before breaking down in tears and exiting the stage.
Witnesses described the scene as a poignant protest against what many see as deliberate frustration.
The absence of an audience further compounded their disappointment, leaving the girls with no one to hear their message.
Adding to the chaos, the students revealed they had not seen their directors for the past three weeks and had been unable to rehearse properly.
The play’s writer, Cleophas Malala, arrested Wednesday night after a police standoff at Kirobon Girls High School, remains detained, his whereabouts uncertain as of 9:10 AM EAT.
Online reactions on X condemned the festival organizers and authorities, with posts questioning why the girls were set up to fail.
The incident, following a High Court order to allow the performance, raises urgent concerns about censorship and the treatment of young voices in Kenya’s artistic spaces.
