Chief Justice Emeritus David Maraga has weighed in on the growing controversy surrounding the performance of Echoes of War, a play by Butere Girls High School. In a statement, Maraga condemned the police’s actions against the students, describing it as unconstitutional and unacceptable.
“I condemn, in the strongest terms possible, the actions by the police and those in authority who sanctioned and condoned the mistreatment of the students from Butere Girls High School,” Maraga said, referring to an incident at the Kenya Schools and Colleges National Drama and Film Festival in Nakuru, where the students were scheduled to perform.
The drama began on Thursday morning outside Kirobon Girls High School in Nakuru, the event venue, when police fired teargas to disperse students from various schools protesting the treatment of the Butere Girls’ drama team. In the ensuing chaos, the students were forced to rush back to their bus, with some falling in the process.
The Butere students boycotted their performance, demanding the presence of their director, former Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala.
Maraga criticized the use of force against minors involved in a peaceful, educational activity, calling it “unconscionable” and a “flagrant violation of the Constitution.”
Citing Article 33 of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression and artistic creativity, Maraga emphasized that “no child should be punished or endangered for thinking critically, speaking boldly, or performing creatively.”
Maraga also warned that those responsible for this “heinous violation of students’ rights” would eventually face justice.
“The wheels of justice, though they grind slowly, will surely give us the country we deserve,” Maraga stated. He further urged Kenyans to protect the freedoms enshrined in the Constitution, particularly for the youth.
“Let us not raise a generation that fears its own voice. Let us protect, nurture, and celebrate the courage of our young people. Their voices matter,” Maraga remarked.
