The National Drama and Film Festival in Nakuru was finally concluded on Wednesday April 16, 2025, with the winners attending the a gala at Nakuru State Lodge where they showcased their talent before president William Ruto, First Lady Mama Rachel Ruto, Education CS Julius Ogamba among other government dignitaries.
Days prior, the festival had however been marred with controversies after the Echoes of War play by Butere Girls was not staged.
The drama, that captured the 2024 youthful led protests, faced obstacles before the girls finally bowed out citing endless frustrations.
Many believe that the play would have taken position one and proceeded to Statehouse had it been staged. There are however other hard hitting plays that did not either get chance to be staged at statehouse on Wednesday, despite being performed on the drama festivals. These plays might have been left out because they captured real issues such as corruption, ailing health system and abductions.
The plays include;
1.Makmende
Maranda Boys showcased their talent in the play MakMende in the national drama festival which metaphorically highlighted the rot in the country’s health system.
In the play, a patient is misdiagnosed with a weird chest condition and is referred for surgery at an Indian hospital by a local level 5 hospital. Apparently, tests from the local level 5 hospital diagnosed that the patient has a cockroach in his chest hence referring him to India for surgery. A fundraiser is organised to raise money for the treatment.
At the Indian Hospital, it is discovered that there is nothing like a cockroach in the patient’s chest. The cockroach was however present at the X-ray machine at the local hospital.
2. Walls of Jeriko
This is a play that was presented by Karima Girls from Nyandarua. The story also featured scenes that were witnessed during the youth led protests in June-July 2024.
The symbolic story featured a big cat, named Catrina, who build a wall around her butchery to block other cats from accessing and stealing her meat. Facing the threat of dying from hunger, the group of cats device a way to access the meat.
3. Slosh of War
Leiser Hill Academy presented their play slosh of war in the 2025 National Drama and Film Festival in Nakuru.
The play, which showcased youths struggles amid selfish leaders, was however a no show in the Statehouse Winners Gala.
In the play, the powerful County Council leader, who runs a water business, diverts the free community water supply and instead blames the youth, who run a car-wash, accusing them of depleting water supply.
In the end, the car-wash business collapses and the youths are left jobless. They resort to crimes such as theft, illegal business and drug abuse.
Aside from the plays mentioned above, there are also plays by tertiary institutions that did not qualify for the state gala. They include those from Shamberere Polytechnic which tackled the rot in the sports sector and Taita Taveta Technical and Vocational College’s choral verse that addressed the issue of unemployment.
While featuring on Citizen TV’s JKL Show on Wednesday, Dennis Itumbi, the Head of Presidential Special Projects and Creative Economy Coordination, explained why some plays and acts were not presented at the winners gala.
According to him, the plays are supposed to be written by teachers who are registered by TSC. He also noted that Echoes of War was not judged at the national level by adjudicators therefore it couldn’t be listed on the winner’s gala list.
He further noted that there is no way anti-government plays would have been presented yet it is the government that sponsors the festival.
Additionally, Itumbi said that the winner’s gala featured only a single play from each region for balancing and equity purposes.
