Nakuru creatives 'occupy' players' theatre seven months into its closure

For seven months, creatives in Nakuru have not been able to utilize Nakuru Players Theatre forcing them to ‘occupy’ it, in a bold move to push for the re-opening of the theatre, which has remained shut.

The creatives had to force their way into the premises after being denied access to the facility by the security guards.

In an interview with Mtaa Wangu, the theatre’s Chairman, Eric Wanyama, notes the closure was initially triggered by allegations of mismanagement of funds, prompting an independent audit by trustees upon a request from members.

However, what was supposed to take a month to two has dragged on for more than half a year, in what the creatives describe as a “prolonged and unjustified audit process.”

“You cannot tell me Nakuru Players Theatre needs six months to audit. This delay is unjust and unconstitutional. We want answers,” Wanyama says. 

Further, Wanyama notes that hundreds of artists who have relied on the theatre for rehearsals, performances, and livelihood have been affected by the extended closure. 

On the other hand, Vincent Maingi, producer at Makini Arts Production, lamented the lost opportunities, including county-backed events such as the KIT Fest (County Theatre Fiesta) and investments worth millions of shillings from organizations like The Creative Arts Spaces in Kenya (CASiK) in which they have not benefited from so far this year because of the shutdown. 

More to it, Maingi questions how this is happening yet Nakuru is a UNESCO Creative City. 

“But how can we celebrate this big title when our only theatre is locked and rotting? More than a thousand jobs have been lost. Trustees must understand this space belongs to members, not a few individuals,” he remarks, going ahead to fault the county for not interceding on behalf of creative on the matter.

On his front, the chair of the Nakuru Actors Guild, Tony Aswani, highlighted the wider economic and social impact of the closure.

 “This is where talents like DJ Shiti and Professor Hamo were nurtured. Closing it is killing dreams. Some creatives here are now battling depression, loss of income, and hopelessness. Yet the audit drags on. Enough is enough,” Aswani declares.

Martin Ngugi, notes the reason they need to have the space reopened is to overcome the challenges they have experienced in the time the theatre has been closed down. 

“It’s becoming too costly to host shows outside the theatre. Yet this space is turning to shambles. Some parts have already caved in and it’s not looking good,” Ngugi says.  

When reached out for a reply, Pascal Mbeche, one of the trustees, via a phone call dismissed the claims by the creatives and insisted on seeing the grievances in written form before responding to any of them.

“If there were written grievances, I would address each and every issue raised,” Mbeche responds.