Former Chief Justice David Maraga and former Attorney General Justin Muturi have strongly condemned police action against students from Butere Girls High School during the Kenya Schools and Colleges National Drama and Film Festival in Nakuru. The students were scheduled to perform their play, Echoes of War, when chaos erupted outside the festival venue, Kirobon Girls High School.
Police reportedly used teargas to disperse a crowd protesting the treatment of the Butere Girls drama team, who were allegedly sidelined from performing. Caught in the commotion, students fled back to their bus, with some falling and sustaining minor injuries. In protest, the students boycotted their performance, demanding the presence of former Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala.
Justice Maraga described the incident as a “flagrant violation of the Constitution,” condemning the use of force against minors engaged in peaceful artistic expression. Citing Article 33, which protects freedom of expression and creativity, Maraga said: “No child should be punished or endangered for thinking critically, speaking boldly, or performing creatively.”
He warned that those responsible would eventually face justice, stating: “The wheels of justice, though they grind slowly, will surely give us the country we deserve.” Maraga urged Kenyans to defend constitutional freedoms, particularly for the youth, and to foster an environment where young people can speak and create without fear.
Echoing Maraga’s sentiments, Justin Muturi labeled the events in Nakuru as “a dark and shameful chapter” in Kenya’s history. He questioned the logic behind treating schoolgirls as a threat, saying: “When a government starts trembling at the sight of schoolgirls performing a play, we must ask: what exactly is it running from?”
Muturi called on the Kenya Kwanza administration to protect young people rather than silence them. “Our young people are not the enemy. They are the soul of our nation,” he said. “Their creativity must not be crushed under the boots of fear.”
The incident has sparked national debate on youth expression, state overreach, and the future of free thought in Kenya.
