"Where Is MAMA RACHEL RUTO?" MALALA slams First Lady over Butere Girls’ ‘Echoes of War’ Drama Festival standoff

Monday, April 14, 2025 - Former UDA Secretary General Cleophas Malala has criticised First Lady Rachel Ruto for her silence during the recent drama festival standoff in Nakuru involving students from her alma mater, Butere Girls High School.

Speaking on Citizen TV, Malala expressed disappointment over the First Lady’s failure to publicly comment on the barring of the students’ play Echoes of War, describing her silence as "deeply concerning."

The play was controversially blocked from being performed at the National Drama Festivals, sparking national debate on censorship.

"If you cannot speak when your own school is being disadvantaged, intimidated, and teargassed, when will you speak, Mama Rachel Ruto?”

“We need to hear your voice as a mother," Malala stated, urging the First Lady to break her silence and defend the girls from what he termed state-sponsored intimidation.

Malala, who wrote the play, accused President William Ruto’s administration of using security agencies to suppress artistic expression.

“If I were in the government, I would ask William Ruto to be a father to these children. You cannot use force, dictatorship, and intimidation on our children," he said.

Malala also condemned Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen for referring to the performers as "children," arguing that many of them will be eligible voters by 2027.

“These students know what’s going on. They engage with national issues. Calling them children to silence their voices is a mistake,” he added.

Recounting his arrest during the event, Malala revealed that he was abandoned in a bush late at night.

“It was torturous for me; I was scared,” he said, describing the incident as an attempt to intimidate and silence him.

The Kenyan DAILY POST

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