Former UDA SG Cleophas Malala and Rigathi Gachagua. Malala was on Wednesday blocked from attending rehearsals of Butere Girls’ play ‘Echoes of War’. Photo Cleophas Malala X.
Former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua has condemned the arrest of former Kakamega senator Cleophas Malala as shameful and suppression of creativity and social audit.
Gachagua faulted the government for using the police to intimidate the former United Democratic Alliance (UDA), which he said is a worrying alarming rate of use of criminal justice in the country.
“The use of the criminal justice system to suppress creativity and social audit has reached alarming proportions. It is a shame of unimaginable proportion that dozens of DCI detectives in five vehicles have been dispatched to arrest and intimidate Senator Cleophas Malala for writing a script that has won its way to the National Drama festival in Nakuru,” Gachagua wrote.
The controversial play by Butere Girls’ High School, had earlier on been banned from the festival before the High Court lifted the ban. Gachagua said the play reflects the current administration, and that they the Kenya Kwanza regime feels threatened.
‘The satirical play – Echoes of War – that strongly captures the lying culture of this administration, is innocent in itself in the literary universe, just to explain to those who feel threatened. In any case, the detectives will harass the messenger, but the message remains; this action only creates more awareness of the literary piece and the message,’ he further wrote.
Malala was in Nakuru to attend the rehearsal of his play at Kirobon Girls’ High School, when the police arrested blocked his car. In video shared Malala, he seen questioning the police arresting him for writing a play, questioning the officer for coming with 50 police officers to arrest him.
It has reached a place in Kenya your are arresting me for writing a play? And you’re coming with 50 officers! What offense have I committed? DCIO you’re being used to arrest someone who has written a play. Or what mistake have I committed?” Malala angrily questioned.
The play which depicts the Gen Z series of protests, and the historic parliament invasion of June 25, 2024, seemingly the trigger of his woes.
Malala’s woe started after his ouster as the ruling party’s SG in 2024, and his close association with former deputy president Gachagua. In one of his rallies in Kakamega, Malala apologized to the residents for backing the president, as he is a political con and a liar.
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