NAKURU, Kenya, Apr 11 — Basic Education Principal Secretary Julius Bitok has said the Ministry of Education is investigating chaos following the aborted staging of a Butere Girls play at the National Drama and Film Festival in Nakuru.
The PS made the commitment during a press briefing Thursday evening during which denied reports that the girls were tear-gassed by police.
Bitok said he was not aware of what occurred between the police officers stationed at the venue and the students.
However, he was quick to confirm that the girls had safely returned to their school after they declined to perform during their allotted stage time.
He noted that the Ministry of Education respected a court order directing it to allow the school to participate in the national competition despite having flagged the play.
Since the school was not initially on the schedule, it was allocated time outside official hours, Bitok said.
“The girls were given the first slot, but they declined it, saying they could not perform without their director, former Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala,” he said.
The Principal Secretary explained that the director is a non-teacher and, therefore, could not be allowed into the drama festival venue.
He stated that having a non-teacher involved in the festivals was against education regulations, adding that the Ministry would be reviewing the rules.
When asked why the Ministry was only now enforcing the regulation—despite Malala having directed plays since 2013—Bitok said the Ministry was investigating the matter with the intention of reviewing its enforcement mechanisms.
He assured the public that the national drama festivals were proceeding smoothly.