Head of Presidential Special Projects Dennis Itumbi has dismissed claims that a Moi High School Mbiruri play was barred from the national drama festival over political content. Addressing the controversy, he said the production simply failed to qualify after finishing fourth at the Eastern regional level, insisting reports of a ban were misleading.
Itumbi clarified that the play progressed through sub-county and county stages before falling short at regionals, adding that its exclusion had nothing to do with references to Singapore. He challenged critics to review top-performing entries from the region and cautioned against dragging politics into school drama festivals.
He further noted that rules restricting political messaging in school plays are longstanding, not new, and encouraged creatives interested in political themes to stage them in commercial theatres instead. According to him, productions focused on school environments and child-centred storytelling tend to perform better at the national level.
“The Mbiruri play was not “banned” over a mention of Singapore, it simply didn’t qualify for Nationals. It took different qualifying positions from Sub-County, through County, and finished 4th at Regionals. That is the reality. Please let us not politicise theatre in schools. If you want a political play, script and stage at the commercial theatres. I attended one last weekend and it had strong anti-Ruto messaging and I enjoyed the production. No-one banned it. And the rule on politics in school plays? It is not new. It has always been in the rulebook,” Itumbi posted on Facebook.
