Hypocrisy? Murkomen’s 2013 Defense of Butere Girls Resurfaces
Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has drawn criticism over what many see as a stark contradiction in his stance on school drama censorship. His recent remarks concerning the Butere Girls’ High School play controversy sharply diverge from views he passionately held over a decade ago.
In 2013, Murkomen—then a newly elected senator for Elgeyo-Marakwet—was a vocal opponent of the censorship imposed on Shackles of Doom, a play directed by former Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala and performed by Butere Girls. The play was banned from the Kenya Schools and Colleges Drama Festival, a move that Murkomen publicly condemned.
“I wish the much-publicised ‘Shackles of Doom’ was staged here at State House Mombasa. What was wrong with the Butere Girls’ Shackles of Doom? They have enjoyed the best advertisement and they should reap from it,” Murkomen posted on his X account in 2013.
Fast forward to 2025, the Cabinet Secretary now appears to support the suppression of a new production from the same school. Echoes of War, also directed by Malala, has become the centre of national attention following claims of interference and mistreatment during this year’s Kenya Schools and Colleges National Drama and Music Festival in Nakuru.
The students were reportedly denied a proper stage setup and allegedly harassed by police ahead of their performance. Despite this, Murkomen defended the government’s actions, citing concerns over political exploitation of minors.
“We are mandated to safeguard the freedom of expression for all Kenyans, and we would not want insecurity to be pushed into the wellbeing of our children,” he said while addressing the media on April 10, 2025.
“We also should allow our children to be educated in all forms, but we have the responsibility as government and parents to ensure that they are not at the centre of politics.”
In what seemed to be a veiled reference to Malala—who was recently ousted as UDA Secretary General—Murkomen added: “It has come to a point that a politician is now the headteacher directing students on drama and using them to politically get back at the government.”
The CS called on politicians to refrain from influencing school content, suggesting that teachers are best placed to guide learners appropriately.
“I want to urge us politicians to leave schools for teachers. Teachers know the boundaries when engaging the learners. They know the right language while criticising the government, and they are the only ones to direct our children on morals,” he said.
On the same day, students from Butere Girls staged a dramatic walkout during the festival. Upon taking the stage at Melvin Jones International School in Nakuru, they sang the national anthem and exited without performing Echoes of War.
According to the students, the walkout was not spontaneous but a response to days of frustration and mistreatment. They alleged a lack of basic stage necessities such as sound equipment and décor, and claimed to have been intimidated by police.
“We were harassed by the police. We went to the stage with nothing — no sound, no decor, nothing. So we sang the National Anthem and left,” one student recounted.
Tensions escalated as the students began chanting and demanding the presence of their director.
“We want our director. We are not performing without our director. Where is Mr. Cleophas? We want him. We are not going back to Butere,” they shouted.
The situation deteriorated further when police reportedly used teargas to disperse the students, prompting widespread public outrage and renewed scrutiny of the government’s handling of student expression and artistic freedom.
In Other News: U.S. Accuse Ruto of Over-Taxation
Hypocrisy? Murkomen’s 2013 Defense of Butere Girls Resurfaces
