Esther Murungu, a drama teacher at Moi High School, Mbiruri, has said that the school’s play was not banned.
Her comments come after a news report suggested that the school play had been disqualified from the ongoing Drama Festival due to political grandstanding.
Speaking during a live interview, the teacher cited comments made by Denis Itumbi, confirming that the play just didn’t win.
“The play cannot be banned or disqualified. We reached the national festivals after going through regionals. What Dennis Itumbi is saying is true: it lost at the regionals, coming in fourth position,” she stated.
Explaining away the controversy, Ms Murungu also explained the plot of the play, dismissing any claims of it being political.
“The play’s message was about the generation gap between Gen Z and other generations that struggle to understand them. There was nothing political about it; the media simply got it wrong, and it’s not fair,” she said.
Claims made by reports circulated online also said that the play’s mention of “Singapore” had been a sticking point for the judges, a claim the teacher disputed outright stating: “There was a scene where a lady was travelling, and it was said she was going to Singapore. That was all!”
The 2026 Kenya National Drama and Film Festival began on April 6, 2026. The 64th edition of the annual event is being held at Kagumo Teachers Training College in Nyeri County, with a gala scheduled to take place on April 14 and 15.
