Adjudicators’ new plan to encourage fair play
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Mr Kahura told the 150 adjudicators that they need to rise above petty squabbling and vested interests in order to restore the integrity of their bench.
Many times, Mr Kahura said, deserving items have been denied the chance to qualify to the next level.
The adjudicators’ decision in the Kenya Schools and Drama Festival will not be considered final, the organisers of the annual festival have revealed.
In what is comparable to football match camera instant replays, the judges will be overruled if their decisions on winning and losing items are deemed unfair.
This was said by the festival’s national chairman Chokera Kahura during an adjudicators’ briefing in Nairobi last week.
“There have been numerous complaints of lopsided adjudication in all levels of the festivals. This erodes the integrity of the festival and will not be allowed to continue,” he said.
Mr Kahura told the 150 adjudicators that they need to rise above petty squabbling and vested interests in order to restore the integrity of their bench. Many times, Mr Kahura said, deserving items have been denied the chance to qualify to the next level.
Two years ago during the nationals in Mombasa, the adjudicators did not put Daniel Oriwa’s oral narrative in the top three. However, organisers picked the talented boy, performing for Highway Secondary School, for the state concert at State House Mombasa. President Uhuru Kenyatta was most impressed by the story, Otonglo Time, and he reserved the highest praise for the item.
The same happened last year when Emily Nyambura of Gachororo primary school was picked by the organisers for the state concert despite having been ignored by the adjudicators.
There have also been cases of squabbles, some leading almost to physical confrontations among adjudicators. Some adjudicators have interests in the items presented by various institutions, by virtue of being the scriptwriters, directors of producers, or by being friends with the directors.
