Echoes of War: Analyst Reveals The Sum Malala Might Have Earned from Butere Girls’ Controversial Play
Echoes of War, a play originally set to be performed by Butere Girls during the April 2025 Kenya Schools Drama Festival, has quickly become a household name.
Written by former Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala, the play has sparked widespread debate—particularly around the viability of playwriting as a professional career. Malala is no stranger to the theatre world, having authored an impressive 85 scripts to date.
According to actor and theatre practitioner Aswani, scriptwriting can be a lucrative pursuit. He notes that the price for a single school play script varies based on the scope of the project, the client, and the negotiation process.
“For school plays, depending on the magnitude of the project, a script can cost between KSh 60,000 and KSh 100,000,” Aswani explained.
In the case of Echoes of War, which was intended for the national stage and carried weighty thematic content, the script was likely priced at the higher end of that range—approximately KSh 100,000.
Beyond this single play, Aswani provided a broader estimate of Malala’s potential earnings. If each of his 85 scripts was sold at the minimum price of KSh 60,000, he would have earned at least KSh 5.1 million. At the upper limit of KSh 100,000 per script, the total would rise to KSh 8.5 million.
However, script sales are just one facet of income in the school drama ecosystem.
Aswani highlighted an often-overlooked aspect: training. After a script is sold, the playwright or director may be involved in guiding student performers through various competition stages—local, county, and national.
“There is some money attached to the training sessions after the script is sold,” he said. “A director may earn KSh 10,000 per stage, which amounts to KSh 30,000 per project.”
If Malala participated in training for each of his 85 scripts, this could represent an additional KSh 2.55 million in earnings over his career.
Yet, Aswani cautioned that while the financial rewards can be significant, the path is not easy.
“This is a career that demands consistency,” he stated. “You can’t write one script and then disappear for two years. Society evolves rapidly, and a writer must remain attuned to the changing dynamics.”
He emphasized the importance of capturing shifting cultural and societal themes, which form the backbone of relevant, resonant storytelling.
Aswani’s insights come amid growing scrutiny of creative expression in schools. The Butere Girls’ performance of Echoes of War stirred national dialogue about censorship, politics, and the role of drama in civic education.
It also shed light on the often-invisible intellectual and creative labour behind school productions.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba weighed in on the controversy, stating that Malala’s involvement in the play violated school drama festival regulations. He claimed the senator, as a non-teacher, had altered the script—raising both ethical and regulatory concerns.
Nevertheless, Aswani defended the legitimacy of professional involvement, asserting that seasoned playwrights like Malala should not be excluded from contributing to school theatre.
He concluded by reiterating the value that experienced writers and directors bring to school productions, not only in terms of quality but also in nurturing the next generation of performers and thinkers.
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Echoes of War: Analyst Reveals The Sum Malala Might Have Earned from Butere Girls’ Controversial Play
