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• Thu Apr 17 2025

Dennis Itumbi apologised on live TV on behalf of the government, hoping Butere Girls learners were watching the show

The State House representative said that the full force of government was behind his apology, adding that they did not manage the situation well

Former UDA secretary general Cleophas Malala could be heard laughing at the back, not believing a word Itumbi said

Dennis Itumbi has noted that the recent frustrations surrounding Butere Girls' drama students are regrettable.

Dennis Itumbi has apologised to Butere Girls student who faced hostilities in Nakuru. Photo: Dennis Itumbi, Abdul Ali.

Source: Twitter

The head of Presidential Special Projects and Creative Economy apologised to the drama club students at Butere Girls High School over their treatment at the National Drama Festival.

The event was marred by controversy after the chaos surrounding playwright Cleophas Malala's arrest and the students' refusal to perform their play, Echoes of War.

Why did Butere Girls refuse to perform?

This was after the young girls were allegedly given conditions that they could not work with and decided against performing altogether.

The students claimed they were denied their props, not given a good sound system, and the audience was locked out, which they felt was unfair to them, having reached the national stage.

They sang the national anthem, walked off stage, and never returned, drawing mixed reactions from Kenyans.

After returning to their bus, a huge crowd started following them while singing anti-President William Ruto slogans, an act that brought the place to a standstill.

Despite the show of solidarity with the girls, it seems the security teams were not impressed by the crowd's disruptive presence and even lobbed tear gas at them.

However, this was the wrong move as the students were also affected, being that they were in an enclosed area.

Some of the girls could be seen whinging from the fumes produced by the gas, which was heartbreaking for many.

Dennis Itumbi leaning for a chat with his boss, President Ruto. Photo: Dennis Itumbi.

Source: Twitter

Dennis Itumbi apologises to Butere Girls

Appearing on Jeff Koingange Live alongside politicians, public figures and content creators on Wednesday, April 16, Itumbi apologised for the act, hoping that the learners were watching the show.

"I apologise to you and with my apology comes the full force of the government, because I represent that sector of government of creative economy. We are not only sorry for the teargas but also sorry not managing this to the very end," he said.

Itumbi promised to come up with remedies and apologised that they failed to perform despite their hard work, which, being a former performer, he knows pretty well.

He denied claims of retribution for teachers from the school, noting that maybe it was an internal issue.

All along, Malala, the man behind the script who was part of the panel, could be heard laughing, not believing any of Itumbi's words.

How Butere Girls students return to school

TUKO.co.ke also reported that the girls returned to their school in Kakamega county just hours after leaving Nakuru frustrated.

A video showed the moment the girls arrived at their school, escorted by police vehicles on either side of the bus.

This was despite claims from Malala that 15 students from the team had gone missing and their locations were unknown.

It was not communicated if the girls were found or not, but from the silence, it can be said that they were found.

Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.

Source: TUKO.co.ke