Head of Presidential Special Projects and Creative Economy Coordination Dennis Itumbi has criticised the Nation Media Group over a headline suggesting that new rules were introduced to control school drama festival content.
In a statement on Tuesday, Itumbi said the report was misleading and accused the media house of getting the facts wrong.
The issue started after a front-page story in the Daily Nation linked the removal of a play by Moi High School Mbiruri to new rules banning political messaging in school productions.
The newspaper had reported that the rules were revised following last year’s controversy around the play “Echoes of War” by Butere Girls High School.
But Itumbi dismissed those claims, saying the Mbiruri play was not banned at all.
According to him, the play moved through the earlier stages of the competition from sub-county to county level and reached the regional stage, where it finished fourth. That position, he said, was not enough to qualify for the national level.
“It was not banned. It simply did not qualify,” he explained.
He added that regulations on political themes in school drama are not novel, as indicated by the report. On the contrary, he stated, such regulations have always been incorporated into the guidelines for the drama festival.
According to Itumbi, the adjudicators tend to appreciate dramas that concentrate on school-related themes, moral themes, and problems affecting students since such themes are consistent with the objectives of the festivals.
Furthermore, he appealed to media practitioners to exercise caution while covering news about students’ engagements to avoid exaggerating the headlines, which may create undue panic among the citizens.
This debate takes place amid continued interest in school drama festivals following some of the recent dramas that generated a buzz in the community.
