Moi Mbiruri steals show at drama and film festival

Moi High School Mbiruri from Embu County won the best play category as well as the best solo verse to turn the tables on schools better known for producing winning items. 

It was a good outing for Embu County at the 63rd Kenya National Schools and Colleges Drama and Film Festival as schools from the region also won the stand-up comedy (Kanyuambora High School) and modern dance (Kangaru School) categories.

On Monday, the top productions were featured in a gala performance at Melvin Jones Academy in Nakuru City, as well as Menengai High School.

The gala will continue today (Tuesday) and the CS for Education Julius Ogamba will be the chief guest. On Wednesday, the winners will perform at the Presidential Concert at State House Nakuru before President William Ruto.

The winning play by Moi High School Mbiruri, titled Classmates is about the different paths classmates take later in life. A bright young man fresh from the university. He struggles to find employment until he meets his classmate, a supposedly successful businessman in town. He turns out to be a gambling conman.

The conman has ‘made it in life’, with a wife, kids, land, cows, and property. The conman takes him to a job interview at a garage where he terribly fails the interview as his knowledge is highly theoretical.

There, he meets Wafula, the owner of the garage, who happens to be another classmate from secondary school.

The play then highlights the lives of the three boys as they struggle to choose career paths. Wafula was chained by his father's demands to become a lawyer but failed in his exams and immediately joined the automotive industry.

He becomes a successful businessman owning a vintage garage. Despite failing in his interview, Kasmuel is accommodated as the garage manager in an interesting resolution that has Wafula admitting that "To transform this garage into a modern one, he needs someone who is smarter than him.

The play does not fail to give subtle snide remarks to politicians. As the students discuss the whereabouts of their other classmates, they expose how students who used to sleep in class are now politicians who only sleep in the Parliament chamber during important proceedings.

The second position went to Fesbeth Academy from Western where Yvonne Emmily up to the time the play was to be staged, was mother to Laura in the play depreciation. Upon realising that the original Laura had lost her voice, Yvonne was switched from her mother's role to play Laura.

A lot of off-stage prompting was done as the play progressed and whenever she would go off stage she would study the script before coming on stage.

Finally, she pulled a great performance to be declared best actress. The play was scripted by Oliver Minishi. The third position went to Leaiser Hill Academy from Kajiado County.

The winning stand-up comedy by Kanyuambora Boys High School titled "1st Experience". It was scripted by Bessie Gakuthi and produced by the Chief Principal Moshe Musyoka. 

The rib-cracking performance, delivered by the talented Aaron Namu, captivated the audience as he narrated his first-year experience in high school, encountering advanced technology that was completely foreign to him.  

Equity Group Bank CEO James Mwangi said that Equity Bank would continue supporting creative art in schools and allow the learners and their directors to continue expressing themselves in an environment that gives them the freedom to do so.

Reading CEO James Mwangi's message at the Melvin Jones Academy hall during the first day of the Gala performances, Ambassador Mary Mugwanja of Equity said that it is the philosophy and mission of the bank to continue nurturing talents at the Kenya Schools and colleges drama and film festival through giving the performers and their directors motivation to continue improving in their creative art and continue expressing themselves freely.

"We are happy to continue helping learners and directors to continue exploring their careers in acting, directing and production. "Rewarding outstanding excellence is one of our mission and philosophy as a group" said Ambassador Mary Mugwanja

In the Junior School category, PCEA Kangema from Murang’a County won in the narrative while Nyandarua Boarding and Uhuru Gardens Primary School won in the solo dance and second position, respectively.

National Drama Festivals results 2025- Secondary Schools.

PLAY

1. Mbiruri

2. Fesbeth

3. Laiser Hill

C.C.D

1. Kisumu Girls

2. Highway

3. St. Clares

NARRATIVE

1. Mbita

2. Madira

3. Maranda

LIVE BROADCAST 

1. St. Annes Lioki

2. Kibabii

3. Itibo

MODERN DANCE 

1. Kangaroo

2. Kebirigo

3. Tumaini

SOLO DANCE

1. Endarasha

2. Booker Academy  

3. Highway Secondary

STAND-UP COMEDY

1. Kanyambora

2. Inaya 

3. County Girls' 

SOLO VERSE 

1. Moi Mbiruri

2. Fesbeth

3. Laiser

MIME

1. Sameta High

2. Olekajuado

3. St. Pauls Wamunyiri

SPOKEN WORD 

1. Alliance Girls

2. Bishop Atundo

3. St Anne’s Sega  

KSL PLAY

3. Ngala Secondary  

2. Father Audera 

1. St Brigdit Akoret

SNE CCD PH

1. Nolondo CBM

2. Mombasa Secondary

3. Joytown Vukhonyi