From: Ouko joachim omolo
The News Dispatch with Omolo Beste in images
FRIDAY, APRIL 5, 2013
Butere Girls High School drama club and the entire school are so disappointed. Their drama, ‘Shackles of Doom’, which depicts unequal distribution of resources and dominance of top positions by main ethnic groups, will not be staged at the national drama festivals, despite topping the western region contest.
The play was stopped by the Drama Committee even after Butere District Education quality assurance officer Isaac Ngaya said he watched the play and found no offending sections that warranted censorship. The claim was that the play contained hate speech and for that matter it was offensive.
The play acted by two girls wondered whether nepotism will really end in Kenya. Even before Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto have not been sworn in their government has been accused of nepotism.
The girls were wondering why in Kenya any leader who comes to power immediately exercises nepotism. Among the most powerful posts have been awarded to Uhuru Kenyatta’s Central and GEMA as well as Ruto’s Rift- Senate Speaker … Ethuro … Rift, Nat. Assembly Speaker … Muturi … Eastern-the girls were crying and wondering who will represent Western, Northern and Coastal who feel cheated by Rift Valley and Central!
Prime Minister Raila Odinga is not spared either. He made sure his ODM party awarded his elder brother Oburu Odinga by nominating him to parliament after people rejected him during the ODM nominations.
Similar case applies to his sister Ruth Odinga who has been awarded ‘deputy governor’ even after Kisumu people rejecting her. Ruth had known before general election that she was going to be awarded the post of deputy governor.
Celebrating Valentine’s Day a day late with pupils at Shiners Centre in Kisumu town on February 14, 2013, Ruth introduced herself to the pupils and staff as “the Kisumu County Deputy Governor and Raila’s sister”. She signed the visitors’ book ‘Deputy Governor Kisumu County’.
This could imply that even if Raila became the president nepotism was not going to end. Earlier on Raila had been accused for having allegedly favoured his relatives and friends as well as the financial heavyweight Luos in the former cabinet appointment to the grand coalition government.
Dr. Oburu Oginga was appointed an Assistant Minister of Finance. The other centre of controversy was the appointment of Mr. Phillip Onyango Sika as the PS in the Ministry of Metropolitan development. The new PS hails from gem constituency also in Siaya and is the relative of the Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo whose mother is the younger sister of Raila Odinga’s mother.
Critics blamed Raila for having ignored Migori, Rachuonyo, Kisumu and Nandio districts only concentrating with appointment of people from Siaya and Bondo districts.
Even Kenyatta was not spared either. He used nomination slots to nominate his relatives. He paid back his first cousin Beth Mugo with a TNA nomination to the senate after Mugo stepped down in favour of Mike Sonko who was elected Nairobi senator.
One of the adjudicators at the regional level, Prof Christopher Odhiambo of Moi University, said their role is not to censure but to suggest improvements in case a play contains offending information.
The author of the play, Cleophas Malala is a politician and a scriptwriter, but his play has been adjudged to be politically incorrect. Despite the ban, Mr Malala says his plays are motivated by his desire to fight for the rights of the oppressed, especially the marginalized ethnic communities in Kenya.
In the zonal, district and regional competitions the play by Butere Girls emerged the winner despite the fact that someone loyal to the government thinks it has a political twist.
The play was motivated by unequal distribution of resources in the country. The play depicts a film shot in the land of the ‘Kanas’, who refer to themselves as the ‘True Kanas’. Their land is rich in oil, but they are ignorant of the treasure that lies beneath their soil.
Malala cited an audit by the Commission for Integration and National Cohesion (NCIC) on distribution of public appointments which showed glaring inequalities in public jobs.
“I am just replaying what happens in our society and even NCIC knows that, so what is my sin?” Malala wonders.
The fact however, remains that the unequal distribution of wealth has always been a huge problem in Kenya since independence that has plagued society throughout the ages. Even as forms of governments of Kenya have changed, the unequal distribution of wealth has remained a constant.
That is why the Butere girls’ actress were crying wondering who will save Kenya from these evil ills. They were crying because the unequal distribution of wealth makes the living conditions of the less fortunate undesirable, because the upper class is usually concerned about gaining and maintaining their own wealth first and concerned about others second.
The girls were crying because it is difficult for the poor to rise above the poverty level, because they are dependent upon what the upper class deems is a fair wage for producing the goods that they make.
Against the background that Karl Marx saw conflict as necessary and desirable to bring about social change. This social change would then result in the equal distribution of wealth and resources.
After viewing the suffering of the masses, Karl Marx hoped that they would rise up against oppression and bring about a social change where there would be an equal distribution of resources.
The conflict that Marx spoke about was not necessarily violence. Conflict referred to tension, differences in beliefs and values, conflict of interest and competition. These all exist in every society and according to Marx, they are the basis for social change.
The play reminds me of my own play I wrote in early 1990s when I was the Rector of Keserian Juniro Seminary. The play “But Why” was banned by the Kajiado Drama Committee because it was asking why The Central Bank of Kenya had been used to provide liquidity to politically well connected financial institutions such as Trade Bank, Pan African Bank and Exchange Bank.
Such banks were being used to launder the residential campaign money into convertible currencies abroad. In 1992 alone, the Central Bank printed and released for circulation more than 12 billion Kenya shillings.
This was the time 7 billion shillings was used by Kanu as slush fund to manipulate the electoral process according to Finance Magazine, March 31, 1993. It was also the time 500 and 200 notes were printed, YK’ 92, used most of 500 notes to campaign for bribery and corruption machinery to make Kanu win the elections.
The printing of 500 notes, 200 and 100 was an addition to 2.35 billion. As of the end of September 1992, the amount of currency in circulation in Kenya was 15.85 billion. It was also during this time that Lake Basin Development Authority had been pushed to near collapse due to general elections.
During that time Kenya had been ranked by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund as the 24th poorest country in the world a gross national product per capita of $370 per year-down from the$400 plus attained by the end of the eighties.
The average annual growth rate per capita had therefore been either zero or negative for the eighties. By the year 2000 Kenyan economy was rated negative 0.3 percent according to East African Standard, June 8, 20001.
This was the lowest ever recorded since the collapse of the shilling in 1993 in the wake of the Goldenberg scandal and paper money and the crisis of the 1990’s-instead of answering the question but why the play was banned.
Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
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Real change must come from ordinary people who refuse to be taken hostage by the weapons of politicians in the face of inequality, racism and oppression, but march together towards a clear and unambiguous goal.
-Anne Montgomery, RSCJ UN Disarmament Conference, 2002