Echoes of war: No photos or videos of Drama Festivals as Butere girls set to perform

The contention stems from a play named ‘Echoes of War’ that will be performed by Butere Girls High School on Thursday. 

On day 4 of the festival, the organisers and participants were met with new rules. The festival, which was being filmed since its start, and live streamed on the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) owned Edu TV will no longer be captured on camera. 

On Thursday, journalists and the public audience were blocked from accessing the venue of the festival at Kirobon Girls High School in Nakuru. 

No sight of cameras in the hall where the performances are showcased, as the KICD crew and other media partners who were covering the event have been asked to pack their equipment.

“They are saying no audience, no video, no photography and no shooting at all. KICD won't stream live even local productions for partners have been barred from shooting. No cameras are approved,” personnel who had been providing coverage of the festivals told Citizen Digital.  

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 students are expected to take stage today to perform their play. They had earlier been scheduled to perform at 6.15, but in other changes, they accessed the venue at around 7.30. 

Its scriptwriter Cleophas Malala was on Wednesday barred from accessing Kirobon Girls High School, where he intended to take the students through last minute rehearsals. 

As of 5 p.m., Malala, a former Senator, claimed that police had barricaded his vehicle and were threatening to arrest him.

At 9 pm Thursday, police lobbed teargas canisters to disperse journalists who had camped outside the school to cover the standoff.

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.