Butere Girls High School students partaking in the drama play titled Echoes of War will have a chance to showcase their presentation at the national level after the court ordered its continuation this week.
That because Echoes of War is written and acted based on the bloody youth-led protests, commonly referred to as the “Gen Z protests”, witnessed in Kenya last year, the school’s principal, Jennipher Omondi, had suspended its entire cast and crew comprising 50 students, reportedly after receiving a directive from State House.
Her decision was instant, and all the students were sent home to prevent them from preparing for the nationals, despite their stage drama winning at the Butere Sub-County level as the best theatrical performance of the competition and coming third at the Western Regional Drama Festivals.
However, following the suspension, a former student of Butere Girls, Anifa Mango, now a Senior Litigation Associate, took legal action. She went to court and successfully sought an order to ensure that the play would not be excluded from the National Drama Festivals, set to begin on 7th April 2025 in Nakuru County.
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In her petition, Mango requested that the court order the school to allow all 50 students to participate in the National Drama Festivals.
“That the Honourable Court be pleased to issue an order that the Respondent retain in school and/or recall all 50 students participating in drama festivals for their participation in the National Drama Festivals as scheduled,” Mango’s petition read.
Her lawyer, Kennedy Echesa, argued before Lady Justice Wilfrida Okwany that the principal’s decision was arbitrary, unconstitutional, and infringed upon the students’ rights to freedom of speech, expression, and fair administrative action.
“No legal authority, be it State House or the Ministry of Education, has the power to block a play that has been approved by professional adjudicators at various competition levels,” Echesa asserted. He further emphasized that without urgent court intervention, the students would be unjustly denied the opportunity they had earned through their dedication and talent.
Consequently, Justice Okwany ordered both Mango and Principal Omondi to appear before her as early as today, April 5, for further directions on the matter, ensuring the students’ chance to perform the play at the national stage remains alive.
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