Former Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala has taken a swipe at President William Ruto following the dramatic events surrounding his play Echoes of War, performed by Butere Girls High School.
Speaking during a local television interview on Wednesday, April 17, 2025, Malala expressed deep disappointment at the President’s failure to apologise over the use of teargas on school children who had gathered to perform the play during the national drama festivals in Nakuru.
“I’m a very disappointed person, because today, the president did not apologise for tear gassing school children. I thought he would start by apologising for the brutality he exercised against school children,” Malala, the writer and director of the play, stated.
While acknowledging Ruto’s recent remarks about protecting children from harmful influences, Malala said that protection should also extend to shielding them from corrupt and dishonest leaders.
“I agree that what he said—that he wants to protect children against paedophiles, drug peddlers and people who teach them negative ethnicity—is valid,” Malala noted.
Adding;
“But one thing I would want to amend on the president’s comment is that those children also need to be protected against corrupt leaders, land grabbers, and liars. We must start practising what we say.”
Malala also criticised the president for what he called hypocrisy in leadership, claiming that the same administration that preaches protection of children has appointed questionable individuals to key government positions.
“You cannot be the president and say that you’re protecting students against drug peddlers, but when you appoint your cabinet, you appoint two drug barons. I do not want to mention names. But it is in the public domain—we have drug barons,” he stated.
Adding;
“These children know what is going on. These are the same crop of students that were lied to about laptops by the same person talking about protection.”
The outspoken politician urged the Head of State to lead by example.
Ruto’s comments
Malala’s remarks come just days after Ruto, while speaking at an interdenominational church service in Kapng’etik, Elgeyo Marakwet on Sunday, April 13, 2025, warned of individuals trying to corrupt the minds of children through art and education. The president’s statement was widely seen as a veiled reference to Malala and the controversial play.
“We must protect our children from pedophiles, drug peddlers, and those who want to corrupt our children and teach them to hate their parents, teachers, leaders, or their nation,” Ruto said.
He added that the government was focused on nurturing talent in all fields, including academics, arts, and sports.
“We must give all our children the best opportunity to be the best they can be… My administration is going to make sure that our children get the best, and we must support them,” he added.
Butere Girls
Students from Butere Girls High School had been cleared to perform Echoes of War under strict conditions. However, they pulled out of the performance, citing harassment and intimidation by authorities.
“We were harassed by the police. We went to the stage with nothing — no sound, no décor, nothing. So we sang the national anthem and left,” one of the students said.
The tension escalated as students loudly demanded the whereabouts of their director, Cleophas Malala, claiming he had disappeared weeks before the national competition and they had been left without proper rehearsal or support.
“We want our director. We are not performing without our director,” the girls shouted. “Where is Mr. Cleophas? We want him. We are not going back to Butere.”
The situation reached a boiling point when reports surfaced that police had used force and tear gas to disperse the students, triggering a storm of public outrage and condemnation from human rights groups.
The play Echoes of War explores themes of leadership and youth disillusionment in a fictional kingdom.