{"id":113557,"date":"2025-04-12T14:03:29","date_gmt":"2025-04-12T14:03:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/04\/12\/atwoli-condemns-politicization-of-students-amid-butere-girls-drama-festival-controversy\/"},"modified":"2025-04-12T14:03:29","modified_gmt":"2025-04-12T14:03:29","slug":"atwoli-condemns-politicization-of-students-amid-butere-girls-drama-festival-controversy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/atwoli-condemns-politicization-of-students-amid-butere-girls-drama-festival-controversy\/","title":{"rendered":"Atwoli Condemns Politicization of Students Amid Butere Girls\u2019 Drama Festival Controversy"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya Apr 12 \u2013 Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary-General Francis Atwoli has criticized Former Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala for involving schoolchildren in political activities, following the recent controversy surrounding Butere Girls High School\u2019s play, \u201cEchoes of War,\u201d at the National Drama and Film Festival.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0During the burial of George Oduor, Raila Odinga\u2019s security aide, Atwoli insisted that politics should be kept off educational environments to protect children\u2019s rights and focus on their learning.\u200b<\/p>\n

\u201cI would like to urge you politicians, please let\u2019s not mix politics with our young children. Let\u2019s allow the children to study; if you want to engage in politics, do it with adults, not with children.Shenzi sana!,\u201d Atwoli stated.\u200b<\/p>\n

Tensions peaked on Thursday during the Kenya Schools and Colleges National Drama and Film Festival when members of the public and journalists were blocked from accessing Kirobon Girls High School in Nakuru. Butere Girls High School was scheduled to perform their highly anticipated play\u00a0Echoes of War<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The play explores themes of governance and the 2024 Gen Z-led protests and has drawn intense scrutiny.<\/p>\n

Malala, the scriptwriter, was arrested on Wednesday evening under unclear circumstances and transferred from Nakuru Central Police Station.<\/p>\n

The performance, featuring the play\u00a0Echoes of War<\/em>, was interrupted after students reportedly declined to stage it following Malala\u2019s arrest, an incident that sparked nationwide concern.<\/p>\n

The school\u2019s drama team protested by singing the national anthem and walking off the stage, citing lack of support and alleged harassment.<\/p>\n

Malala castigated<\/h1>\n

This comes days after a \u00a0section of lawmakers had criticized former Secretary General of the ruling UDA Party Cleophas Malala, accusing him of using a school drama performance by Butere Girls High School to settle political scores.<\/p>\n

During a parliamentary session on Thursday, Butere MP Tindi Mwale sought a statement from the Ministry of Interior over the chaos, which allegedly saw students teargassed at the National Drama and Film Festival in Nakuru.<\/p>\n

Mwale demanded accountability, saying students were harassed and denied their right to artistic expression in what has been widely described as state brutality.<\/p>\n

Eldas MP Adan Keynan who led President William Ruto allies in condemning Malala faulted the politicization of school programs and questioned why politicians were involved in student co-curricular activities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Butere Girls students have become victims of political theatrics. How did the school permit Malala to take part in a talent promotion event meant for students?\u201d Keynan asked.<\/p>\n

He warned that political interference is eroding the integrity of educational institutions and called on Malala to take responsibility.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are destroying the social-political fabric of our country through petty, partisan politics. Individuals must be held accountable,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Gachagua allies <\/h1>\n

Allies of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua had condemned the treatment of Butere Girls students and journalists during the chaos surrounding\u00a0Echoes of War<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Addressing a press conference on Thursday \u00a0at Parliament Buildings, lawmakers led by Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba decried the use of force against children.<\/p>\n

\u201cI call for immediate accountability. Those responsible must face justice. Silence is complicity. Kenya must choose between tyranny and liberty,\u201d Wamuchomba declared.<\/p>\n

She said the government\u2019s actions violated the rights of children and creators, pointing out that some students went without food or sleep before performing the skit.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis government must be called out for what it has become,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Tetu MP Geoffrey Wandeto also condemned the use of force against students engaged in a peaceful and educational activity.<\/p>\n

The incident drew national attention, with various stakeholders expressing concern over the suppression of artistic expression and the involvement of minors in political disputes.\u200b<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya Apr 12 \u2013 Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary-General Francis Atwoli has criticized Former Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala for involving schoolchildren in political activities, following the recent controversy surrounding Butere Girls High School\u2019s play, \u201cEchoes of War,\u201d at the National Drama and Film Festival. \u00a0During the burial of George Oduor, Raila Odinga\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-113557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113557","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113557"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113557\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}