The Association of Media Women in Kenya (AMWIK) has strongly condemned police officers for violently disrupting the Kenya National Drama and Film Festival held at Melvin Jones Hall in Nakuru, where schoolgirls, journalists, and members of the public were tear-gassed during a performance.
The chaos erupted during the staging of Echoes of War, a play by Butere Girls High School, when police stormed the venue, assaulted journalists, and fired teargas into a crowd that included children and educators.
The incident has drawn national outrage, with rights groups accusing the government of violating fundamental freedoms and endangering lives.
In a statement released on Thursday, AMWIK decried the excessive use of force, saying it undermines press freedom and public safety.
“Journalists have a right to report freely without intimidation or violence, while children must be protected from harm in all circumstances. We demand immediate investigations into the incident and call for accountability for those responsible for these reprehensible actions,” the association said.
AMWIK called on security agencies to focus on their constitutional mandate to protect citizens, especially minors and members of the media, rather than use oppressive tactics to silence dissent.
Amnesty International Kenya also sharply criticized the police for violently disrupting the performance. The group said officers blocked journalists from entering the venue, fired teargas into the audience, and intimidated the young performers.
“What unfolded was not just a shameful abuse of police authority, but a direct assault on constitutional freedoms,” said Irungu Houghton, the Executive Director of Amnesty International Kenya.
He warned that by targeting a school play performed by children, the state was criminalizing creativity and turning cultural spaces into zones of fear. According to him, the disruption violated students’ legal right to artistic expression, which is protected by Kenyan law and international conventions.
Amnesty called for the immediate release of the play’s director, former Kakamega senator Cleophas Malala, who had been arrested and detained at Eldama Ravine Police Station. The organization also urged the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to launch a swift and transparent probe into the conduct of the officers involved.
“The Children Act 2022 and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child guarantee every child the right to participate in cultural life, including through artistic expression. Silence is not safety. Children must be free to speak, perform, and imagine a different world without fear of state violence,” Houghton said.
The play Echoes of War, which explores themes around governance and the 2024 youth-led protests, has ignited political tension, with critics accusing the government of targeting student performers for expressing dissenting views.
ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna condemned the incident, saying it was shameful for the government to harass students for telling stories through art.
“Serious questions arise when a government is scared of children’s art. Of all the evidence of this regime’s misplaced priorities, none is more shameful than harassing schoolgirls in uniform,” Sifuna said.
Malala, who authored the play, was arrested on Wednesday night and taken to Nakuru Central Police Station before being moved to Eldama Ravine. He was later released without charge. Speaking to journalists after his release, he claimed that 15 students from the cast were missing and demanded that police account for them.
“Our cast comprises 38 girls. We have received information that 15 girls are missing. We want to know where our girls are. Police should produce the girls,” he said.
Malala condemned the use of teargas at Kirobon Girls High School in Nakuru, where students had been rehearsing. On Thursday, journalists and the public were blocked from accessing the venue, and the girls were reportedly denied a public address system, forcing them to abandon the performance.
Instead of acting out the play, the cast sang the National Anthem and broke down in tears as they left the stage.
Echoes of War was initially disqualified at the Western Region Drama Festivals, but a High Court ruling overturned the decision and ordered its inclusion in the national festival. Its content, said to be critical of the current administration, has made it a target of heightened scrutiny.
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