Political satire expected to take centre stage at Kenya Drama Festival

Vincent Akuka, the Nairobi Region festival chairman and Principal of State House Boys, said students will lean on symbolism and gentle satire rather than direct messaging.

“Being a political year, we expect political themes, but in a very salient way. It will not be pronounced as it was last year. Students of literature are very clever. They will use symbols to represent what is happening on stage. It will not be very direct. It will be satirical. They may use a school principal to illustrate how a president or a minister should behave.”

Akuka added that the stage will inevitably echo the country’s realities. “What we see on stage mirrors what happens in society, and we cannot run away from it,” he said, noting that satire is used “to correct the leaders.”

Beyond politics, Akuka expects recurring social themes to feature strongly, including gender-based violence, body shaming that undermines students’ confidence and retention in school, poverty and families struggling to support education, and the dynamics of relationships among learners. 

He said these will sit alongside topics on banking, insurance, savings and technology in line with the festival’s theme, Digital Stages: Driving Kenya’s Development Through Theatre and Film.

Akuka also thanked Equity Bank for partnering with the Ministry of Education and said the collaboration encourages students to explore how technology-enabled banking fits into everyday life. 

As part of the partnership, students will showcase performances around Equity’s sub-theme, Leveraging Technology to Make Banking a Lifestyle - From a place you go to something you do, framing technology-enabled banking as part of everyday life. 

At the national finals, champions in the Equity classes will receive Ksh 100,000, accompanied by silverware; runners-up will receive Ksh 50,000, and third place will receive Ksh 30,000. All winners will also be awarded with trophies and certificates. The best trainer will receive Ksh 30,000, the second Ksh 20,000, and the third Ksh 10,000. 

The national finals will be held in April in Nyeri, followed by gala showcases hosted by Education CS Julius Ogamba and Equity Group CEO and MD Dr James Mwangi. The top students will then cap the season with a performance at State Lodge, Nyeri, in a gala to be attended by President William Ruto.