Alliance Girls crowned 2011 drama queens

By GEORGE ORIDO

Alliance Girls High School, from Central Province are the winners of this year’s Kenya Schools and Colleges Drama Festivals with their play, Hell’s Kitchen.

In a night full of anxiety, the play swept nearly all the awards, including best director, production, scripting, costume and dÈcor. Its star actress Rebecca Musiega (Oliver) bagged the coveted best actress award.

Students from Alliance Girls were in pomp celebrations as Kakamega High School from Western, the defending champions, come second with their play, The Innocent.

Laiser Hill Academy was third with The Wikileaks, which earned the best comedy and most creative titles.

Hell’s Kitchen is a play set in a public university, where drug and substance abuse is rife. The story is simple and the acting is the epitome of dedication and passion from students whose ever-present position in the top ten academic positions in the country only added to fame. "We give God all the glory. It was not by power nor by might but by the spirit," that is how Director Frederick Omondi responded to the sweet victory.

All was not lost after all for the Western drama giants when they emerged first with their dance Musumi. Kakamega High School also took other eight awards in the dance category, including best male dancers, choreography and creativity.

"When I watched the Kakamega dance, I saw energy, power and dedication. If I were to go through the same I would never last," remarked Education Minister Sam Ongeri.

Best costume and dÈcor went to Senior Chief Koinange Girls.

Karima’s Nduta was second overall with Aquinas High from Nairobi bagging the third position. Gukumene Girls from Eastern Province received a special Adjudicator’s Award for a "remarkable Luo dance performance," with their dance, Cecilia.

Agoro Sare from Nyanza scooped the top position in the choral verse with Bum Bum. In a double finish, they took the winning solo verse as well as My Guitar, performed by Frederick Oyoo. Joyce Mwikali The Jamboree of Mary Mount and Omonya Jeremy Kesha of Bungoma High were second and third respectively.

Winning narrative from the Secondary section was Colour Frenda from St Joseph’s Girls earning them the Mumias Sugar Company Trophy.

Chesamisi High School came second with Adonija and Kihumbuini third with King’ang’i.

Kenya Institute of Mass Communication had sweet revenge on their counterparts from East Africa Media Institute (Eami) by bagging the winning trophy with their play Quagmire Royale. The latter were second with Black Rhino The Messiah. During the Nairobi Provincial festivals, Eami won. Five-year-old Brandy Awuor from Sony Sugar won the best performer in her solo verse The Dot. Lions Primary won with their play Facts.

Golden Elites won the choral verse category. St Teresa’s Isanjiro ran away with the dance trophy with Litabo. Susan Mungai from Huruma Girls and Octavious Onyango of Maseno School won the best actress and actor in the French plays and will go to Paris for four months.

Today, students will entertain the President at State House, Nairobi.

Present during the ceremony were Mumias Sugar CEO Evans Kidero, Education Secretary George Godia, Festival Patron Evans Oyaya and Festival Chairman Chokera Kahora.