Starehe to stage special musical to mark 60 years

Starehe Boys Centre candidates sitting for KCSE exams music class practice with their instruments ahead of music exam. 22/10/18. [Beverlyne Musili, Standard]

Starehe Boys and Girls Centres will from today perform a joint, original musical titled ‘Daniel and the County Live Wires’, kicking off the institution’s 60th anniversary celebrations.

The fete will be marked by a series of shows that will run throughout the month of May.

“Starehe has a history of doing musicals because we believe they are a celebration of our musical arts and heritage,” Kyama Mugambi, the musical’s producer, told Saturday Standard.  

Daniel and the County Live Wires, an original, locally written and produced musical play about the lives of four principled young adults at the hands of unscrupulous acquaintances is a project of the Old Starehian Society comprising the alumni of the institution.

Using drama, song and dance, the production celebrates the triumphant virtues of integrity and hard work against the face of corruption.

It features music by such prominent local artists as Juliani, Eric Wainaina, Chris Adwar, Pitson amongst others. Actors Samson Mwavita and Norris Kabembe are the drama and artistic directors for the production, with Bruno Owiti serving as the choreographer.

The musical will also serve as a charity event for the institution that was itself built on the good will of others. Starehe was borne out of the vision of Geoffrey Griffin, assisted by Joseph Gikubu and Geoffrey Geturo.

Thousands of students

“It is an opportunity for us to tell our audiences about the schools and how they can partner with us. Seven out of 10 students in the institution are needy,” Mugambi said.

Its genesis was the State of Emergency declared by the Governor of Colonial Kenya during the 1952 Mau Mau uprising and the resultant overflow on to the streets of poor and destitute orphans.

The first 17 boys entered the school from a Nairobi Rescue Centre. Today thousands of individuals have gone through the school’s gates.

“The production supports the Starehe Music and Arts Initiative to buy 60 instruments for Starehe Boys’ and Starehe Girls’ Schools,” Mugambi said.

Both schools were set up to provide educational opportunities for bright students from economically challenged backgrounds. As originally envisaged in 1959, more than 70 per cent of the students presently receive an education subsidised by charity from Kenya and beyond.   

“Patrons should come prepared to be taken on a journey and be part of an experience that speaks to our Kenyan context,” said the show’s producer. “It will also showcase the immense talent of the boys and girls.”

Daniel and the County Live Wires is a two-act, 90-minute show that combines serious social issues with music, dance and humour in its story- telling.