Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka has come out forcefully to condemn what he terms “a national shame” following the tear-gassing of students from Butere Girls High School at the National Drama Festival in Nakuru. In a passionate statement released Thursday morning, Musyoka criticized the government for what he called “a blatant act of repression” against students who declined to stage their play, Echoes of War, amid growing political sensitivity around its message.
Musyoka did not mince words, calling the attack on the students “a wake-up call for the nation.”
“How does this regime justify lobbing teargas at young girls who simply chose not to be silenced?” he asked. “Their bravery serves as a national wake-up call. When voices of truth are silenced and art is censored, democracy suffers.”
According to reports, the students, accompanied by teachers and their peers, staged a walkout in protest after being pressured to alter or cancel their performance. The play, titled Echoes of War, is said to draw parallels between historical injustices and current state oppression. The group was later targeted by police with tear gas outside the venue—a move that has sparked widespread public outrage.
Musyoka expressed unwavering solidarity with Butere Girls and all students who participated in the walkout, stating, “Kenya must remain a country where even the echoes of war are heard—and heeded.”
He also blasted the ongoing silence from key government offices.
“The silence from State House, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Interior is absolutely telling,” Musyoka said. “It reveals a government more afraid of truth than of violence. That is a dangerous trajectory for any democracy.”
Further fueling tensions, the scriptwriter of the banned play, former Senator Cleophas Malala, was arrested shortly after the incident. Musyoka decried the arrest as unconstitutional and unjust.
“Malala’s only crime was to exercise his rights guaranteed under Article 33 of our Constitution—the right to freedom of expression. Arresting him only confirms the fear our leaders have of truth. Let it be known: art is not a crime.”
The Wiper leader also addressed the growing unrest among students and young people, many of whom have taken to social media and the streets with chants of “No Butere, No Drama… #RutoMustGo!”
“These are not the cries of rebels,” Musyoka said. “These are the voices of a generation fed up with repression, abductions, and extrajudicial killings. Kenya, are we listening?”
As pressure mounts on the government, Musyoka has called for the immediate release of Cleophas Malala, an official apology to the Butere Girls students, and a thorough investigation into the actions of the police at the Nakuru event.
He concluded with a stern warning: “We must decide whether we are a nation that fears the power of its youth—or one that is willing to grow from the truths they speak. Suppressing art is not strength—it is cowardice.”
Let me know if you'd like to format this as a press statement from Kalonzo's office or for a newspaper op-ed style.
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