Just days after the script of the controversial play Echoes of War by Butere Girls Secondary School sparked public attention and led to the detainment of its playwright, Cleophas Malala, more behind-the-scenes drama has come to light.
Malala, who is also a former Senator for Kakamega, opened up in an interview with Citizen TV on Sunday night, setting the record straight on what really happened.
Malala dismissed the widespread claims that he had drastically changed the script, which some believed had caused the confusion and chaos during the regional drama festival held in Nakuru last Thursday.
He clarified that only a few minor adjustments were made, and these were meant to help the student cast easily understand and deliver the play.
“I am the author of this script, and I gave my word to the cast to ensure they wouldn’t struggle like last year,” Malala explained. “In the previous year, the play kept changing, and it became difficult for the girls to master their roles.
This time, I gave them a full script early on, and we agreed that only very minimal changes would be made during rehearsals.”
He also defended the legitimacy of the play by pointing to the adjudication process. According to him, nine adjudicators, all appointed by the Ministry of Education, approved the script from the sub-county level up to the regional stage.
“The script that was performed at regionals was vetted and approved by three adjudicators, and we scored an impressive 90 percent,” he said. “So at what point did the script suddenly become problematic?”
The controversy deepened after the school principal raised concerns in a widely circulated letter, claiming that the script had been altered.
However, Malala refuted these accusations, saying the principal was simply trying to protect herself from blame as her retirement approached.
He alleged that she only watched the play for the first time during the regional competitions and was not involved in any of the script development.
Malala also took issue with the fact that the principal’s letter was not addressed to him directly, despite being the author.
Instead, it was sent to the two patrons of the drama club, which he saw as another way to shift responsibility away from the school administration.
He went on to deny accusations that the play was a form of political revenge following his removal from the position of UDA Secretary General.
Malala insisted that he began working on Echoes of War while he was still serving in that role, long before the political fallout.
“I don’t write plays based on my personal opinions or to settle political scores,” he stated. “My work is driven by current issues in society.
The Gen Z protests that took place in June inspired this particular play. Just like I’ve previously written about doping, HIV/AIDS awareness, and the struggles of police officers, I picked a relevant issue and creatively explored it through this play.”
Malala also highlighted his long-standing relationship with Butere Girls Secondary School. He revealed that over the past 15 years, he has been working with the school to train students for drama festivals. Out of the 82 plays he has written so far, Butere Girls has performed 15 of them.
This latest controversy has stirred national debate about censorship, artistic freedom, and the role of creative arts in education.
As the dust slowly settles, Malala continues to defend his work and legacy as a playwright dedicated to spotlighting social issues through theatre.
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