Nairobi — President William Ruto has broken his silence on the ongoing controversy surrounding the actions by police against students from Butere Girls High School during their attempt to perform the play Echoes of War at the Kenya National Drama and Film Festival in Nakuru County.
Attending an interdenominational church service in Elgeyo Marakwet,the President emphasized on the clarion call for the protection of learners across all educational institutions in the country as an important human capital for the future.
The Head of State insisted that safeguarding children from exploitation and harmful influences must be a national priority, even as his administration continues to invest heavily in the education sector.
"We must equally protect all our children from pedophiles, from drug peddlers, and from those who want to corrupt our children and teach them to hate their parents or their teachers, or their leaders, or their nation.We must protect children from those ones,"the President stated.
Without directly naming Butere Girls, where the students were barred from rehearsing, and were forced to begin their performance earlier than scheduled which spaked outrage.
President Ruto made it clear that such incidents should not be allowed to compromise the well-being and future of Kenyan students.
"We are investing in education because education is what sharpens our human capital, the most important asset that we have as a nation. That is the reason why we are deploying resources in our schools, in our TVETs, in our universities because we want to harness the potential that exists in our human resource," the President noted.
The President also issued a call to action to educators, school administrators, and policy managers to be vigilant in their roles, ensuring that learning institutions remain safe, nurturing, and free from external negative influences.
"Teachers, instructors, and the managers of our education must make sure that every child in every school, TVET, college, or university gets the best opportunity," Ruto stated.
President Ruto stressed that his government is open to support an inclusive educational environment that caters to diverse strengths from academics to the creative arts, sports, and technical fields but it must be enshrined on inclusivity.
"Every child deserves the best opportunity to be the best they can be. Those who are good in academics, others are good in sports, others are good in the creative economy, others are good in arts. We must, as a nation, make sure that all children get the best array and buffet of what they can become," he affirmed.
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Education Cabinet Secretary Migos Ogamba refuted claims that the government prevented Butere Girls from performing the 'Echoes of War' play in Nakuru county.
The Education Cabinet Secretary pointed out that the school's management violated the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) regulations by inviting former United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary General Cleophas Malala, a non-teacher, to direct the play.
Already,the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) has filed a petition in court seeking to compel the Kenya National Drama and Film Festival Committee to allow students from Butere Girls' High School to stage their play.
The commission argues that the actions of the respondents constitute a violation of their constitutional duty to promote, protect, respect, and fulfill the rights and fundamental freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution.
"The aforementioned absurd and malicious treatment has only been discriminatorily meted out against the Butere Girls, as all other schools have performed or are due to perform with their chosen props and décor and before an audience," read the court papers.
