State handling of Butere Girls’ play sparks outcry

Harassment of former Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala over Butere Girls’ play has triggered widespread condemnation, with activists and politicians terming it backward.

Malala’s ‘Echoes of War’ explores contemporary issues such as technology, governance and social justice relevant to Gen Z and the youth’s struggle for civil liberties.

It centres on a nation recovering from a civil war, with young citizens at the forefront of rebuilding efforts and critiques the role of digital spaces in governance and change.

On Wednesday, he was barred from accessing a Kirobon Girls in Nakuru where the girls were having their rehearsals and later got arrested.

The play was also removed from the performance list and only okayed at the last minute under strict conditions that included lack of props and public address equipment and audience.

When the girls stepped on stage, they sung the national anthem and walked out.

The police later teargassed them for protesting the stringent conditions and demanding Malala’s release.

The politician was briefly detained at the Eldama Ravine police station but was later released.

ODM, Amnesty International, the Association of Media Women in Kenya and the Kenya Human Rights Commission described the government’s action as illegal.

ODM said the young girls should have been allowed to stage their play. It said freedom of expression allows Kenyans to express themselves.

“We reiterate that the freedom of expression guaranteed by our constitution allows people of all ages to express themselves freely even if we do not particularly like what they have to say,” secretary general Edwin Sifuna said.

For KHRC, the action amounted to “violent assault on the freedoms of thought, conscience, information, expression and opinion—guaranteed by no less than the constitution— which violates the state’s obligation to provide education to children.”

Amnesty International said the events were not only a shameful abuse of police authority but a direct assault on constitutional freedoms.

By targeting a school play performed by children, it says, the state is criminalising creativity and turning cultural spaces into zones of fear and censorship, calling for an immediate stop to any form of intimidation.

“We demand an immediate end to the harassment, intimidation and censorship directed at the students, teachers and creatives behind the play and call for the unconditional release of thespian Cleophas Malala,” executive director Irungu Houghton said.

“Silence is not safety—children must be free to speak, perform and imagine a different world without the threat of state violence.”

Irungu also wants Ipoa to initiate prompt and transparent investigations into the conduct of all police officers and commanding officers involved and hold them accountable for violating the policing code of conduct.

The police also harassed journalists covering the developments, with Amwik condemning the police for using excessive force on journalists.

“Amwik denounces the excessive use of force by law enforcement, which undermines press freedom and jeopardises public safety,” it said.

Upon his release, Malala described the protest by the students as heroic.

“It was a heroic moment for those girls because they wouldn’t have performed without the audience, decor, costume and their directors. That is unfair,” he said.