Parenting, Raila themes dominate day two of drama festival

Bunyore Girls from Western Region entertained the audience on Day Two of the 64th Kenya National Drama and Film Festival at Kagumo Teachers Training College auditorium with their emotional play ‘Where there is the smoke’. 

The play critically addressed the issue of parenting, where some parents have become too busy to take care of their children. It explores the pros and cons of wealth acquisition at the expense of strengthening families. It was produced by Agade Judith.

The play revolved around the family of a top judge of the High Court and her husband, who is a prominent preacher but whose only daughter is lost in drug and substance abuse. In her own words, she sought solace in drugs because of loneliness emanating from the absence of her parents at home. Each of her parents was too busy pursuing their careers.  

"I am a top judge of the High Court and I cannot find time for petty school issues. I paid the fees in full and it is your (teachers’) duty to guide and take care of her,” the judge says to the school principal during a meeting which was called to iron out her daughter’s indiscipline.

The girl had become a drug peddler at school. The father's effort to pray for his daughter was thwarted by the mother, who kept away his "holy ghost" out of family matters. 

Koelei School from the Rift Valley thrilled the audience with their entertaining play ‘The Winning Project’. The plays' turns and twists, unanticipated, captured the attention of the audience as they kept being surprised by new moves throughout the 40 minutes of the presentation.  

The plot revolved around two schoolgirls who were doing their scientific projects for the science fair. One girl made an electric cooking stick for cooking ugali, while the second one made a robot whose work was to take photographs and print them instantly.  

‘Isukuli Yefu’ was a narrative from Koyonzo High School which showcased how a "handshake" after school elections stabilised the school and made the learning environment more conducive.

Kisumu Girls presented a creative cultural dance ‘Oriti Baba’ (Bye bye Baba), a cultural dance in honour of Raila Odinga.

The dance starts when Baba is on a life support machine, which was removed to spark mourning across the stage. Then came a hat similar to that Mr Odinga used to don.

The hat was delivered in the manner Mr Odinga’s daughter, Winnie, delivered it after his body was flown home from India, where he died. What captured the audience's imagination was when the lady who had delivered the hat returned as an angel to protect Baba’s Nyatiti, which had been snatched by somebody after 'Baba's' demise. 

However, this time she has wings like an angel sent on a mission. Here, her mission is to snatch away Baba’s Nyatiti from the "pretender" for safety.

The performance not only evoked emotions in the audience but also the dancers, some of who after the dance.

Butere Girls Senior School presented a choral verse entitled ‘Kinywa Kinene’—a bold and socially conscious choral verse that explores the dangers of irresponsible speech in society and the devastating consequences of incitement. 

At the heart of the piece lies a striking extended metaphor built around the human mouth. In this symbolic structure, the tongue emerges as the central figure, representing hate speech mongers, reckless influencers, and conflict merchants who weaponise words to spread division, hostility, and unrest.

Through its sharp and provocative utterances, the tongue becomes the source of poison within the mouth—an embodiment of unchecked speech capable of igniting societal instability. 

The teeth, in turn, symbolise the ordinary citizens who are often manipulated, incited, and provoked into conflict by the utterances of the tongue. Just as teeth bite and clash within the mouth, the piece presents a society in turmoil—one where people turn against one another not necessarily out of reason, but as a reaction to inflammatory rhetoric fed to them.

In this layered symbolism, ‘Kinywa Kinene’ paints a vivid portrait of how communities can be torn apart when citizens become instruments of conflict rather than agents of peace. Offering a powerful counterbalance are the lips, portrayed as the speech monitors, regulators, and ‘voices’ of reason in society. 

In the piece, the lips serve as the protective boundary of the mouth, attempting to contain excesses, regulate expression, and offer moral and civic restraint. 

They symbolise institutions, leaders, and watchdogs tasked with guiding public discourse and ensuring that freedom of speech is exercised responsibly rather than recklessly. 

Through this compelling interplay of symbols, ‘Kinywa Kinene’ delivers a timely and urgent message: speech is not harmless. Words can either heal or destroy, unite or divide, calm tensions or trigger chaos. 

The verse warns that when toxic voices are left unchecked, they can incite entire populations into metaphorical—and even literal—collision.

Scripted by Gideon Habwe, Foy Ongaya, Victor Achesa, and Brian Mutende, the production is rich in literary craftsmanship, blending sharp social commentary with rhythmic intensity and layered symbolism. 

Direction was jointly handled by Nobert Ayoyi and Francis Shikanda, whose interpretive staging amplified both the emotional force and conceptual clarity of the performance. At the helm of production was the school’s Chief Principal, Linda Zalo. 

Ms Zalo boasts a rich dramatic legacy, having previously served as principal at Lirhanda Girls and Tigoi Girls, where she also successfully produced items to the national and East Africa festivals.

Other ecstatic pieces were staged by Kangangu School, a solo Verse titled ‘Mahabusu Darasani’, Emusire High School (choral verse) and Waso Girls from North Eastern. 

 The hall hosting junior school performances was a festival banger, with theatrical items well-pitched. Kitengela International Schools, Syokimau, presented a narrative, ‘Boss Lady’ narrated by Anita Wangui and produced by Elizabeth Gati. It is a story about a house help who takes advantage of her employers’ busy schedule to scam them online.

Of keen interest was the spectacular performance by St John's Mahiakalo Junior School who staged a choral verse piece titled ‘Shangashanga’. 

The need to embrace Kenyan products played a central role in the piece, where tailors are encouraged to improve their designs to encourage more Kenyans to buy Kenyan products, rather than focusing on purchasing from outside the country. The verse was scripted by Gideon Habwe, Edith Kwena and  Sylviah Itobolwah.  

St Mary's Mukumu Girls graced the stage with their French Choral Verse as they sought to encourage learners to put emphasis on watching educational channels more than they watch other misleading channels.

A clear emphasis was put on the need to embrace digital platforms as provided by the KICD on their Kenya Education Cloud. The piece was scripted by Prudence Munyendo and directed by Victor Achesa. It was produced by Sr. Laura Akala.

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