Govt Alleges Butere Girls’ ‘Echoes of War’ Play Script Was Altered Before National Stage.
The Ministry of Education has alleged that the original version of Echoes of War, a play by Butere Girls, was tampered with at the regional level. In a statement dated Thursday, April 10, 2025, Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba explained that the script had gone through several modifications after its initial submission, some of which breached official guidelines.
Ogamba reported that during adjudication at the sub-county level, adjudicators advised scriptwriter Cleophas Malala to eliminate certain offensive elements. After those changes, the revised version was approved without incident at the county level. However, at the regional stage, it was altered again—this time significantly—incorporating additional content deemed offensive.
The CS clarified that although the county-level version was free of inappropriate material and had been approved to proceed, the subsequent changes at the regional level deviated from the previously cleared script.
As per Ogamba, when the play was selected to move to the national level, Butere Girls’ Board of Management decided to withdraw it. They were concerned that the newly modified version might bring embarrassment to the school. The decision followed Regulation 19.2 of the 2025 Kenya Schools and Colleges National Drama and Film Festival Rules and Regulations, which permits only minimal changes to scripts. Submitting a newly revised and unadjudicated version at a higher level could result in disqualification.
He stated that upon realising the adjudicators had cleared the play for the national competition, the Board chose to withdraw it due to the extent of the alterations.
Exclusion from National Schedule
Ogamba further said that, in line with protocol, the script was not presented to the Executive Secretary by the Regional Secretary during a meeting held at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development on March 28, 2025. Consequently, it was excluded from the national performance schedule.
He emphasized that a script not submitted to the Executive Secretary could not be included in the national lineup. Following the withdrawal, the school released its students for the April holidays.
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Despite the earlier decision, legal intervention reversed the situation. Courts in both Kakamega and Kisii ordered that Echoes of War be presented at the national festival. In compliance with this ruling, the Principal Secretary of the State Department for Basic Education announced on Monday, April 7, 2025, that Butere Girls would stage their performance.
The students were recalled and arrived at Kirobon Girls in Nakuru by 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9. The performance was scheduled for 8:00 a.m. the following day, Thursday, April 10.
Ogamba also noted that Cleophas Malala, the former Kakamega Senator and the play’s scriptwriter, attempted to enter Kirobon Girls to conduct rehearsals. However, he was stopped by security personnel at approximately 6:00 p.m. on April 9, 2025, as access was denied.
Govt Alleges Butere Girls’ ‘Echoes of War’ Play Script Was Altered Before National Stage.
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