Former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua has blasted President William Ruto’s government for using excessive force against students of Butere Girls over their controversial play, Echoes of War. Former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua during a press briefing. The play, which depicts a Gen Z uprising against an oppressive government, sparked intense debate, but it was the heavy-handed response by police that has drawn the most attention. On Thursday, April 10, during the National Drama Festivals in Nakuru, police officers used tear gas on the students who refused to perform the play, intensifying the controversy.
Gachagua questions government response Speaking at former president Mwai Kibaki’s memorial lecture at Serena Hotel on Friday, April 11, Gachagua expressed disbelief over the government’s actions. He condemned the violence used against innocent schoolgirls, noting that even during colonial rule, despite its brutality, the government never resorted to attacking children. “We are looking at what is happening about Butere Girls. We are unable to understand what is this viciousness against children by the present government. Even the colonial government that was very brutal, it never went for the children. Mzungu, they were very brutal, but they spared the children,” Gachagua stated. The former DP, who has been championing calls to ensure Ruto serves a single term in office, said the head of state had panicked.
Gachagua pointed out that the brutal response to the play was proof that Ruto was uneasy over growing dissatisfaction among Kenyans. “We have seen a situation where an administration has panicked because this one term is becoming real. So they have gone berserk. They have gone berserk, and they are now fighting shadows, including schoolgirls, Form 2 girls, Form Three girls. These are harmless girls. How fluid is your government if girls can bring it down? Girls, surely,” the former DP wondered. Subscribe to watch new videos How did NIS fail Kenyans Gachagua further lashed out at the National Intelligence Service (NIS), accusing them of failing in their duty by allowing the “Echoes of War” controversy to escalate to the point where it resulted in violent clashes. NIS director general Noordin Haji at a past interview.
He argued that had the intelligence service been more vigilant, they would have flagged the play earlier before it reached the finals in Nakuru. “I’m looking at General Gichangi here, and I want to say, if General Gichangi was the director of NIS, that play would not have been banned in Nakuru if it had to be banned. Because it came all the way from the sub-county, nobody noticed. It went to the county, and nobody noticed. It went to the region and became number three; nobody noticed. They only noticed about it in Nakuru in the finals because of a failed intelligence system. So if a decision needed to be made that that is a bad play and people should not see it, it would have been banned somewhere, because there are officers on the ground every day,” he said. Instead, Gachagua claimed, the intelligence and security agencies failed to act in a timely manner, claiming the government was more interested in business deals. “But everyone has slept. Everyone is looking for money. This government is a business,” the former DP added.
by Didacus Malowa
