Kakamega Senator Malala scripts best school plays

Two plays scripted by Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala took first and second position overall at the just-concluded 59th edition of the Kenya National Drama and Film Festival.

The senator scripted and directed the Kakamega High School and Butere Girls High School plays.

Despite his many political engagements, Senator Malala finds time to engage in his favourite pastime – writing and directing plays.

Mr Malala is passionate about promoting drama and nurturing talent in young actors.

WAKES UP EARLY

The indefatigable lawmaker wakes up at 4am to prepare for morning rehearsals with students who are then assigned roles in his plays.

His plays are usually about the people he meets and interacts with, their aspirations and pains.

“As a politician, I interact with many people. I hear their stories. I feel their pain and analyse their aspirations. These are the very stories that I write,” Mr Malala told the Nation.

The Kakamega High School winning play is a story of the tribulations of Nicodemus, a boy who finds himself facing expulsion from school for gross misconduct of seducing a teacher on teaching practice and making several students pregnant.

An in-depth investigation by the school administration reveals that he is being influenced by a househelp called Daudi.

Apparently, Nicodemus' parents separated and his mother cannot have access to the boy because of a restraining court order.

Consequently, Daudi, the househelp has taken over the very important role of guiding Nicodemus in his adolescence.

Daudi imposes on Nicodemus his lopsided view of what maturity entails... telling him to make as many girls as possible pregnant. The realisation that parental responsibilities are not transferrable is the gist of this play.

POLICE BRUTALITY

The Butere Girls play is about police brutality against innocent citizens. It is based on a fictitious slum bordering a school for the officers’ children.

From the storyline, it becomes clear that the prejudices practiced by the rogue police officers in containing riots and demonstrations are passed on to their children.

The children begin viewing others from the slum as lesser human beings and troublemakers.

In a nutshell, this play cautions parents against planting seeds of revenge and retaliation in the hearts of their children.

ANIMAL MASKS

Joseph Murungu, a prominent playwright, used animal masks in a play by Karima Girls High School, which was reminiscent of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, where some creatures are “more equal than others”. The play, which featured different animal characters in a jungle, is basically about appreciating the role of everybody in society and not discriminating against some.

Nanyuki Boys High School, coached by their principal and multiple award winning scriptwriter and director Oliver Minishi, presented an eye-catching play, Volcano. It is about the neglected boy child, representing in this case a section of the society.

Mr Minishi, who has taken the winner’s trophy for several years with Kakamega High School and other schools, has been in Nanyuki Boys for only three months and his prowess is asserted by the fact that he has taken the school to the nationals for the first time ever in the plays category.

“God enabled us to be ranked 5th with our English play and sixth in the French play and we will press on to deliver better performance next time,” he told Nation.

Chavakali Boys High School’s play was also scripted and directed by Senator Malala. The play took position six.

Other quality plays were by Moi Girls Nairobi (position eight), Shimo La Tewa (position nine) and Menengai High School at position ten.