Fifteen students from Butere Girls’ High School are reported missing following a dramatic and chaotic day during the Kenya Schools and Colleges National Drama and Music Festival at Melvin Jones International School in Nakuru.
The students were part of a 38-member cast set to perform the controversial play Echoes of War. Tension erupted when the girls stormed out of the venue moments before their scheduled performance. Tearful and visibly distraught, the students accused organizers and authorities of harassment, neglect, and intimidation.
Eyewitnesses reported that the students arrived at the venue only to be denied essential resources, including a functioning sound system, proper stage decor, and general performance support. One of the students recounted how they were forced onto the stage under extremely poor conditions, saying, “We went to the stage with nothing—no sound, no décor, nothing. So we sang the National Anthem and left.”
In an act of protest, the students walked onto the stage, sang the National Anthem, and exited without performing their play. Their frustration was compounded by the unexplained absence of their director, who had reportedly been missing for weeks leading up to the event. “We want our director. We are not performing without our director,” several students shouted, demanding answers about his whereabouts.
Later, dramatic scenes unfolded as police allegedly lobbed tear gas canisters in the direction of the Butere Girls’ school bus as it attempted to leave the venue. Students were seen covering their faces, coughing and wiping their eyes. Amid the chaos, police officers were spotted escorting the bus out of the school compound.
Outside the venue, legal representatives for the play’s production team expressed outrage at the treatment of the students. One lawyer decried what he described as “oppression,” claiming the girls were being forced to perform under impossible conditions. He alleged that organizers had intentionally turned off the lights in the hall, cut performance time drastically, and pressured the students to leave immediately after the play.
The situation was further complicated by the arrest of the play’s writer and director, who was taken into custody the night before the performance. He was allegedly arrested while trying to prepare the students for their presentation. Initially held at Central Police Station in Nakuru, he was later transferred to Eldama Ravine, more than 60 kilometers away. This move was perceived as a deliberate attempt to isolate him from the students and hinder the production.
Following his release, the director criticized the police for their use of excessive force, particularly the tear gas incident at Kirobon Girls High School, where some students had taken refuge the previous night. He called on authorities to stop targeting students and emphasized that the girls were simply committed participants in a school event.
The mystery surrounding the whereabouts of the 15 missing students remains unresolved. The remaining members of the cast, guardians, and school representatives are calling for urgent intervention and transparency from law enforcement agencies. There is growing concern about the students’ safety and mounting public pressure for a full investigation into the events that led to the chaos in Nakuru.
As the dust settles on what was supposed to be a celebration of youth talent and creativity, questions abound over the handling of the event, the treatment of students, and the silencing of artistic expression.
