Suba North Constituency Member of Parliament Millie Mabona Odhiambo added her voice in the ongoing debates regarding authority and government interference in plays staged by students at the regional and national drama festivals held annually.
Speaking on Thursday, April 10, 2025, Ms Odhiambo remembered how a school play she wrote was well received and awarded at various levels only for it to be cut short on the legs at the nationals level.
“Once upon a time as a student in Limuru Girls, I wrote a play for my house Tana. The play was called “The Awakening” and was on women’s rights. Kenya was hosting an international women’s conference that was a precursor to Beijing. Women’s rights issue was current. However many people, especially older men, were uncomfortable with the issue of women’s rights. The winning house play would be taken as the school play for national competition. The title of the play was “The Awakening” and the opening scene had this song:
“The woman cries for her freedom, she says man, we ain’t no different. We think the same, we just look different, oh give me my freedom. The woman cries for her freedom, she says man, times are changing, new generation, you gotta change with it, give me a break give me freedom. What is freedom, ohhh freedom? We heard it then, we hear it now, we’ll hear it then, what is freedom?”
Almost everyone in school loved that play. We got a standing ovation. We were commended for excellent acting. [Maggie Kimui and I got an award, if I recall correctly]. The play received many accolades by the adjudicators. But to the shock of all, we became no.3 for having “strong words against men.” The play did not proceed beyond the school despite being the best. That was the end of ” The Awakening”, said the Parliamentarian.
Ms Millie Odhiambo’s reflection comes in the wake of the controversy surrounding government interference in the Echoes of War play staged by Butere Girls High School students in the 2025 National Drama Festivals being held in Nakuru County.
The uproar surrounding Echoes of War, a bold and satirical school play by Butere Girls High School, reignited longstanding debates about censorship, youth expression and political overreach in Kenya. The play, which was inspired by the June 2024 Gen Z-led protests against corruption and bad governance, dared to explore the frustrations of a disillusioned generation. Through poetic monologues and symbolic characters, the students critiqued leadership failures, economic hardship and systemic betrayal- topics that hit too close to home for many in power. What was meant to be an artistic display of civic awareness quickly turned into a national spectacle after the play was banned from progressing beyond the regional drama festivals.
Authorities claimed the disqualification was due to procedural issues, but critics and civil society groups pointed to a deeper discomfort with the play’s political undertones. The script’s raw truth struck a nerve, prompting concerns about freedom of expression, especially among Kenya’s youth. Although the High Court later ruled in favour of the students, reinstating the play and allowing it to be performed at the national level, the battle was far from over. When the team finally reached Nakuru for the National Drama Festivals, they were met with silent but effective forms of resistance: media blackouts, barred entry for key guests and a denial of sound systems and stage props. On April 10, the girls, overwhelmed and unsupported, broke into tears and chose not to perform, turning a moment of silencing into a louder, more symbolic act of protest.
This is not a new phenomenon in Kenya. State and school authorities have a long history of interfering with student plays that challenge the status quo. In the late 1990s, schools were reprimanded for plays that critiqued authoritarianism and tribalism. In 2019, Moi Girls Eldoret’s play on domestic violence and political impunity was nearly censored before public backlash forced officials to allow it. These interferences are often cloaked in procedural jargon- “not age-appropriate,” “not in line with curriculum,” or “politically sensitive”-S but the intention remains the same: to stifle youth voices and control narratives.
Yet, drama festivals have long been a mirror for Kenyan society, and students continue to use this stage to reflect the country’s truths. Plays are one of the few remaining spaces where young people can engage in political discourse creatively and safely, or so it should be. The events surrounding Echoes of War reveal a growing anxiety among authorities about the power of youth, especially when their creativity aligns with civic consciousness. In trying to silence the students, the system has instead amplified their voices, proving that theatre, even when stifled, still echoes in the hearts of a nation.
