Why is the nation angry? Archbishop Ole Sapit calls for reflection after Butere Girls' saga

Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit has urged Kenyan political leaders to desist from reacting harshly to criticism following the hostility witnessed over the ‘Echoes of War’ play from Butere Girls High School.

Speaking during a palm Sunday service, Archbishop Sapit noted that the political class should seek alternative ways to have dialogue with citizens lest there be heightened political unrest.

"Let us reason with the savior, not with our own personal interest. What kind if weakness is it when we are using schools and places of our young children as places where we hurl insults and weaponize word," he noted. 

"When we fight with force, our children as rebels, yet they are asking us 'where is our future', what should we say as a people?"

Sapit urged political leaders to be the beacons of hope and modesty, adding that they mirror the society and ill conduct will have severe ramifications for the nation's growth.

He urged the government to welcome criticism from Kenyans and learn from the matters being floated by disgruntled citizens by ironing them out.

"If you look at the theme of the drama festivals, it is the same so Butere Girls was not exceptional. They were just talking about thematic areas affecting Kenya today," the Archbishop added.

"We need to ask ourselves why is the nation angry? ...That any slight provocation we see people display anger."

He told leaders to embrace the humility that Jesus Christ showed when he entered the city of Jerusalem, as Kenyans of the Christian faith prepare to celebrate the Easter season.

Meanwhile, the government has claimed it is not moved by criticism from the opposition, in what appears to be an effort to contain uproar from barring students of Butere Girls from staging the play.

Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kipchumba Murkomen, defended the decision to halt the play authored by former United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary General Cleophas Malala, framing it as a move to shield students from what he described as “corrupting political ideologies.”

He added that they intended to shield students from potential political indoctrination.

Likewise, 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’ to stage their play.

The Commission is seeking conservatory orders to suspend the ongoing drama festival until the matter is resolved, arguing that proceeding with the festival without including the contested performance would violate the students’ rights to freedom of thought, conscience, information, expression, and opinion.