Malala Dismisses Gov’t Claims of Altering ‘Echoes of War’ Play Script

Former UDA Secretary General and playwright Cleophas Malala has trashed accusations of altering the script of the play Echoes of War, as claimed by the government through Education CS Julius Migos Ogamba.

According to Malala, the allegations by government on the script of that play which was scheduled for performance by Butere Girls High School at the Kenya National Drama Festivals last week, are insincere and unverifiable.

Speaking during an interview with Citizen TV on Sunday night, he clearly stated that the play had been vetted and approved by adjudicators appointed by Education Ministry on the previous levels of sub-county, county, and regional competitions, receiving no objection.

In regards, he dismissed claims by government that the play script got tampered with.

“The script was vetted and approved by adjudicators appointed by the Ministry of Education at every stage…It is dishonest to claim the script was altered when it passed through multiple hands and was consistently praised.”

Putting things in black and white, the politician said any minor changes were made based on recommendations from adjudicators that targeted to adjust better performance of the play by the students.

“I committed to giving the cast a complete script with minimal adjustments,” he added.

However, he also stated that his legal team is tirelessly working on seeking for compensation for the affected students as they aim to ensure the play is staged to any audience.

Answering to the question on whether his latest creative work is politically driven, Malala explained that ‘Echoes of War’ rooted its inspiration from the Gen-Z-led anti-tax protests that of June 2024 adding that he finds inspiration of works from societal events and not political motives.

“I don’t write based on my personal views or to push political agendas. My plays are a reflection of the issues affecting our society,” he asserted.

He also criticized the Ministry of Education’s statement that warned non-teachers to distance themselves from violating the violates the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) Act of 2018 by engaging into co-curricular trainings, such as drama.

In his opinion, majority of the people involved in the exercise are non-teacher but professionals in the creative industry. Furthermore, he said the Ministry’s announcement would undermine the roles of those professionals in the creative industry.

“It’s unrealistic for the Ministry to expect every professional involved in training students in drama to be a registered teacher. That approach stifles creativity and talent development.”