Alarm as boys lag behind in Drama and Music festivals

Riara Springs Girls School perform their winning play 'Golden Key' during Nairobi Region Drama Festival on March 22, 2026. [Jenipher Wachie, Standard]

Education stakeholders are raising alarm over the declining participation of boys in school drama and music festivals across Kenya, warning that the trend is leaving the boy child increasingly underrepresented in the country’s vibrant performing arts scene.

The concern has been highlighted during the ongoing competitions leading to the Kenya National Drama and Film Festival and the Kenya National Music Festival, where girls’ schools have emerged as dominant participants and winners in many categories.

Data from the secondary school that qualified for the Kenya National Drama and Film Festival 2026 shows a striking pattern. In the highly competitive play category, all the three national qualifiers from Nairobi and Central regions are girls’ schools.

Karima Girls and Githunguri Girls will represent the Central region, while Riara Springs, Precious Blood Riruta and St George’s Girls will carry the Nairobi region flag at the national level.

The trend is similar in other regions. In Eastern, Kaaga Girls and Meru School qualified, while Western will be represented by Vihiga High School and Fesbeth Academy, a mixed school.

In Creative Cultural Dance, the majority of national qualifiers are girls’ institutions including Moi Girls Marsabit, Kaaga Girls, St Claire’s Maragoli Girls, St Theresa’s Girls Nyanza, AIC Philemon Chelagat Girls, St Mary’s Magina Girls in Homa Bay and Ngararia Girls from Central. Only a few mixed schools such as Tarasaa Mixed Secondary in Garsen and Concordia Mixed Secondary from the Coast also qualified.

The dominance of girls is even more pronounced in the Narrative Class, where most of the qualifying schools are girls’ institutions including Bahari Girls from the Coast, St Angela’s Kitui and Mwaani Girls from Eastern, Kabare Girls and Nginda Girls from Central, St George’s Girls from Nairobi and Njonjo Girls from Rift Valley.

Education experts say the trend reflects a broader concern that boys are gradually disengaging from performing arts activities in schools.

According to organizers of the Kenya Music Festival, the gender imbalance has been visible in recent editions of the competitions. Out of about 140,000 learners who participated in the national music festivals, only about 45,000 were boys compared to more than 95,000 girls, highlighting a widening gap in participation.

During last year’s Kenya Music Festival finals in Eldoret, chairman Prof. Fredrick Ngala warned that the declining number of boys participating in music and drama festivals could affect the country’s ability to nurture creative talent.

“These festivals bring together learners from early childhood to universities and provide a platform to nurture creativity, discipline and teamwork. When boys are missing from these platforms, we risk losing a significant portion of potential talent,” Ngala said.

The festival, one of the largest educational theatre events in Africa, has historically served as a breeding ground for some of the country’s top actors, filmmakers and creative artists. Each year, millions of learners participate in categories ranging from scripted plays, solo verse, choral verse and cultural dances to storytelling and film production.

However, teachers and school administrators say participation patterns are changing.

Justus Musila, head teacher of Kambu Township Comprehensive School and a music festival official, says the imbalance has become increasingly visible at the grassroots level.

“Last year we had almost 90 percent girls participating in music and drama festivals. That shows there is a serious concern that needs to be addressed,” Musila said during a recent sub-county competition in Makueni County.

Musila believes that schools, parents and communities need to deliberately encourage boys to join performing arts activities.

“We have forgotten our boys. We must mentor them and help them realize that music and drama are also important spaces where they can express themselves and develop their talents,” he said.

Teachers say several factors may be contributing to the trend.

One of them is societal perception that often associates performing arts with girls, while boys are expected to focus on sports or technical subjects.

“Many boys believe drama and music are not ‘masculine’ activities. That perception discourages them from participating even when they have talent,” said James Nguta, a teacher at Mikono Comprehensive School.

Nguta argues that schools should invest more in creative arts infrastructure and training to attract boys.

“We need specialized infrastructure and technical training that can nurture boys’ talents in music and drama,” he said.

Another factor cited by educators is the academic pressure placed on boys in many schools, where teachers and parents sometimes prioritize academic performance over co-curricular participation.

“Although our boys place their best foot forward, we have seen them eliminated even with good play,” he said.

Education analysts warn that declining participation in performing arts could have long-term consequences for boys’ development.

Drama and music festivals are known to nurture essential life skills such as communication, creativity, teamwork and critical thinking — skills that are increasingly valued in modern education systems.

Under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), co-curricular activities are expected to play a bigger role in developing learners’ talents and competencies beyond academic performance.

Education stakeholders say if the current trend continues, boys may miss out on opportunities that help shape well-rounded individuals.

“Performing arts build confidence and communication skills. If boys withdraw from these platforms, they lose important opportunities for personal development,” said an education official involved in festival coordination.

Nairobi Region chairman Vincent Akuka emphasize that the goal should be balanced participation rather than competition between genders.

“Schools like Aquinas high, Ofafa Jericho, Nairobi School as well as Lenana School never used to reach the national level. We have to find out what is happening with our boys,” he said.

Stakeholders say restoring balance in participation will ensure that drama and music festivals continue serving their core purpose nurturing creativity, talent and confidence among all learners.

“As a country, we must ensure that every child, whether a boy or a girl, has equal opportunity to participate and excel in co-curricular activities. If we ignore the declining participation of boys today, we risk losing a generation of creative talent tomorrow,” David Amwayi, a curriculum developer said.