Echoes of War: Butere Girls students teargassed after leaving venue of Drama Festivals

The students, aboard their school bus were being escorted by members of the public when police lobbed teargas to disperse the group. 

Here, members of the public and students from other schools sung ‘Ruto Must Go’ chants. 

This was after the Butere Girls students failed to perform the Echoes of War play, which has been a centre of controversy over its theme. 

Taking the stage at around 8 am on Thursday, the students’ echoes were silenced after being denied a public address system that has been in use in the National Drama Festivals. 

Instead of performing the play, the students sang their National Anthem as they broke down and left the stage.

the students also lacked an audience to listen to their play. They say that they have  not seen directors of the play, nor have they trained for the last 3 weeks. 

Echoes of War play has been a centre of attention as its theme is on Kenya’s governance, and the Gen Z led protests witnessed in 2024.

The play was disqualified during the Western Region Drama Festivals under unclear circumstances. A subsequent High Court ruling overturned that decision, reinstating the play and ordering its inclusion in the national lineup.