NAIROBI, Kenya – April 10, 2025 – Former Baringo Senator and KANU Party Leader Gideon Moi has strongly condemned what he termed as “a disturbing display of state repression” following the attempted obstruction of Butere Girls High School’s performance of Echoes of War at the 2025 National Drama and Film Festival.
In a statement shared on his official social media pages, Moi criticized security agencies for using intimidation tactics against the play’s scriptwriter, Hon. Cleophas Malala, who was reportedly harassed in Rongai, Nakuru County, on the eve of the performance.
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Describing the play as “a pure form of artistic expression,” Moi praised Echoes of War for its bold and thoughtful satire on the collapse of public services, entrenched political patronage, and the broken promises that continue to frustrate Kenya’s youth.
“It must not be lost on Kenyans that this play was banned from advancing to the national level, and it took judicial intervention to ensure its performance,” he said, drawing parallels to the 2013 ban of Shackles of Doom, also scripted by Malala and staged by Butere Girls.
Gideon Moi warned that the incident reflects a broader pattern of silencing dissent through extrajudicial means, pointing to a recent chaotic episode in Kasarani where a “rag-tag militia” disrupted a place of worship during a service attended by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
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“It is ironic that peaceful expression is criminalized while violence by elements allied to the state is either ignored or covertly encouraged,” Moi added.
He decried the apparent erosion of constitutional freedoms, noting that security forces seem more interested in stifling artistic expression than addressing growing insecurity and public unrest. “This troubling trend signals a government that has lost touch with its people and is dangerously veering off course,” he warned.
Calling for a national reset, Moi urged the government to realign its focus with the urgent needs of the citizenry by investing in healthcare, education, agriculture, manufacturing, and infrastructure. He emphasized that private sector-led development and industrialization hold the key to resolving youth unemployment and fostering peace.
“The young girls of Butere are not enemies of the state but the daughters of this nation,” he concluded. “Rather than be punished for speaking the truth through art, they should be celebrated. “
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