Nairobi — The Kenyan government came under fire on Thursday for stifling creativity after orchestrating the suppression of the controversial play Echoes of War by Butere Girls High School at the 2025 National Drama Festival in Nakuru.
What began as a disruption of the play's performance quickly escalated into a national outcry, with Kenyans taking to social media to accuse President William Ruto's administration of yet another act of repression.
The play, written by former Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala, focuses on the struggles of Generation Z in their fight for good governance.
The controversy started Thursday night when Malala was arrested, with police using excessive force.
Malala, a former ally of the current regime who previously served as the Secretary General of the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party, had visited Kirobon Girls High School to oversee Butere Girls' rehearsals ahead of their scheduled performance of the play on Thursday.
However, he was denied entry, which led to his subsequent arrest.
During the chaos, police assaulted six journalists covering the arrest by targeting them with tear gas canisters.
Malala, speaking to Spice FM on Thursday while in custody at Eldama Ravine Police Station, stated, "This is just a play, it has nothing to do with incitement or name-calling. It is a piece of art."
In a further escalation of events, organizers of the National Drama Festival on Thursday morning barred journalists and members of the public from accessing the venue.
Inside the hall, Butere Girls faced disarray, were denied an audience, and had no working public address system.
In an act of protest, the students, now the talk of the nation, walked on stage, sang the national anthem, and exited, demanding to know the whereabouts of their detained director, Malala.
Outside the venue, the police dragged the name of the National Police Service through the mud after lobbing tear gas at the Butere Girls, "a shameful act" that only intensified public outrage and sparked further protests.
Tensions in Nakuru quickly flared, with other students and members of the public erupting into chants of "Ruto Must Go," turning the festival into a scene of open defiance.
"That was a heroic act by the girls--there was no way they could perform without their audience, directors, and everyone involved," Malala said.
Leaders, including Wiper Party's Kalonzo Musyoka, DAP-Kenya's Eugene Wamalwa, and former Chief Justice David Maraga, condemned the police crackdown and the state's repression of artistic expression.
Kalonzo slammed the government's actions as shameful, declaring, "Art is not a crime... The chants of 'No Butere, No Drama... #RutoMustGo!' are the voices of a generation fed up with repression, abductions and killings."
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Wamalwa criticized the state's crackdown on Echoes of War and stated, "A king afraid of being told by his children he is naked is indeed naked!"
Maraga called the teargassing of students unconstitutional, warning, "Let us not raise a generation that fears its own voice... The perpetrators will be brought to book someday."
By the time of publishing, no government official had issued a statement regarding the teargassing of Butere Girls or the alleged state involvement in thwarting the play.
This silence casts a shadow on President Ruto's regime and its commitment to the freedoms and rights of Kenyans, as his popularity continues to diminish.
