Butere Girls made headlines for the better part of Thursday, April 10, after a play they were supposed to perform at the 2025 national drama festivals turned into an issue of national interest.

What was supposed to be another normal day in the lives of the high school girls and the thousands of their colleagues from different schools became a day of teargas, frustrations and a botched festival.

The play, written by former Kakamega senator Cleophas Malala, was the bone of contention. Echoes of War is set in a fictional kingdom in the Middle East, which draws parallels to the widespread anti-government protests witnessed last year.

Before the Wednesday drama, it had initially been withdrawn from the national festivals, but a High Court order overturned the decision, setting the stage for the push and pull in Nakuru.

But away from drama festivals, Butere Girls has equally made a name for itself as a sports powerhouse, winning many titles in recent years.

For starters, they are the reigning national football champions, a title they successfully defended last year during the Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) Term 2A games.

The Mumias-based high school beat Nyakach Girls 2-0 in the final held in August 2024 at the Gusii Stadium in Kisii.

Lorna Faith and Mercy Sakwa scored a goal apiece, either side of the half, to avenge the 1-0 defeat they suffered in the group stage of the competition.

The aforementioned Lorna was also part of the history-making Kenya U17 girls who qualified for the World Cup last year.

The Junior Starlets became the first Kenyan football team, male or female, to qualify for and play in a FIFA World Cup event.

Lorna was part of Mildred Cheche's squad that flew to the Dominican Republic for the competition in late October. Kenya failed to make it out of the group stage after losing to England and North Korea, but got their first-ever World Cup win by beating Mexico in the last group game.

Junior Starlets turned up in style to beat Mexico 2-1 with Lorna getting on the scoresheet. The Butere Girls star was later named the Player of the Match, becoming the first Kenyan to win the award at a FIFA World Cup event.

"We thank God for the far he has brought us. I also thank God for this MVP award. We were psyched up and we told ourselves before the match that we would give our best and make the country proud," she said after the game.

has previously reported how they vibed to Anguka Nayo during the Mexico game.

Away from football, they are also the defending champions in basketball and will be eyeing a historic three-peat in the ongoing national games at the Shanzu TTC in Mombasa.

They were pooled in Group B alongside Central region’s giants, M-Pesa Academy, Rift Valley’s St. Joseph’s Kitale, and Nyanza’s Asumbi Girls. They beat St. Joseph's 70-40 on Wednesday.

The government issued a quick response to the disturbing scenes in Nakuru, placing the blame on Malala for involving himself in school matters.

Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migos stated that the role of writing and directing players was a preserve of the secondary school teachers, something Malala isn't.

This is not the first time a Malala script has caused much controversy. In 2013, his 'Shackles of Doom' performed by Butere Girls attracted similar attention.

Source: TUKO.co.ke