Malala Released Following Nakuru Drama Festival Arrest, Hails Butere Girls as Heroines
Former Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala has been released from police custody after his dramatic arrest on Wednesday at the Kenya Schools and Colleges National Drama and Film Festival in Nakuru. He was held overnight at Eldama Ravine Police Station but no charges were preferred against him.
Malala was arrested at Kirobon Girls High School, where he had gone for rehearsals with Butere Girls High School drama club ahead of their scheduled performance of the play Echoes of War, which he scripted and directed. He said he arrived at the venue at 5:30 pm but was blocked at the gate by heavy security.
Following his release, Malala addressed the media and praised the Butere Girls students for courageously boycotting the play’s performance in protest of his arrest and poor treatment by festival officials.
“I am saying that those girls are the heroines of this nation. They should be celebrated and their names should be inscribed with the history of this country,” Malala said.
Reports indicate that when the students were called to stage, they sang the national anthem and walked off, demanding the release of their director. It has also emerged that the team was denied critical performance infrastructure like microphones, props, and proper stage support, leading to the boycott.
Speaking earlier from the police station via phone on Spice FM, Malala condemned the incident:
“It was a heroic moment for those girls because they wouldn’t have performed without the audience, decor, costume and their directors. That is unfair, and I believe officials must be held accountable for denying the students their right to perform in an artistic activity.”
He encouraged the students to remain hopeful and courageous despite the setback.
Echoes of War explores issues of technology, governance, civil liberties, and youth empowerment. Set in a post-conflict society, the play puts young people at the forefront of national rebuilding and challenges the digital censorship of Gen Z voices. Its bold themes have sparked debate on freedom of expression in Kenya’s creative and educational spaces.
The incident has amplified public discourse around censorship, student rights, and the political undertones in educational co-curricular activities. As the drama festival continues, Butere Girls and Malala have become a symbol of artistic defiance and youth activism in Kenya.
In other news:Tear Gas Chaos as Butere Girls Drama Team Protest Disrupts Nakuru Festival
Malala Released Following Nakuru Drama Festival Arrest, Hails Butere Girls as Heroines