Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna delivered a bold address aimed at President William Ruto, calling out what he described as self-inflicted difficulties in the Head of State’s administration.
Speaking during the burial of Raila Odinga's bodyguard George Oduor's funeral on Saturday, April 12, Sifuna drew attention to the recent Echoes of War controversy, urging the president to take control of his government.
"Like the Bishop mentioned, your job is very hard, and I agree with him because at some point I usually wonder if you get to sleep.
"However, there are some difficulties you have imposed on yourself. Like the drama we saw in Nakuru where Butere Girls' High School students were stopped from performing, that’s a problem you have imposed on yourself," he said.
At the same time, Sifuna urged the President to adhere to the law and ensure the agreed funds are released to political parties as enshrined in the constitution.
Read More
Drama ensued in Nakuru on Thursday, April 10, after students from Butere Girls' refused to perform their play, Echoes of War, following the arrest of Cleophas Malala who was their director.
The students who were set to perform the play on Thursday morning demanded the presence of Malala before performing.
Additionally, one of the students cited police harassment and a poor stage setup for their play.
“We were harassed by the police, they took us to the stage with nothing. We sang our national anthem and said we are not going to perform,” she said.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba later refuted claims that the government barred Butere Girls' High School from performing their play, Echoes of War, at the National Drama Festival.
Speaking to the press, he clarified that the students were given the opportunity to perform but declined on their own accord.
Ogamba said the students’ refusal to perform was not prompted by any government interference but of their own decision.
"You are very aware that the students were allowed to perform. But when they came to the stage and after the national anthem, one of them stepped forward and said they are not willing to perform without their director, Cleophas Malala; who is not a teacher or a director at Butere Girls' High School. So, the students, at their own volition, decided not to participate," he stated.
