Curtains finally came down on the annual schools and college’s drama festival that were being held at Kakamega School and Mukumu Girls High school respectively with the minister for Education Mutula Kilonzo presiding over the closing ceremony.

The minister urged the business fraternity and other stakeholder to step in and start offering not only academic scholarships but also talent scholarships especially to the gurus in the drama industry.

“I am going to be challenging the Kenyan business community to be coming here in full force to recruit this able students, to sponsor them with scholarships to universities, to colleges, not to sponsor them purely for academics, to sponsor them for the talent that they have demonstrated and they continue to demonstrate to this country,” said Education minister Mutula Kilonzo.

Mutula applauded the talent he saw urging media to take some of the action to their programming.

“We want to see some of the items we have watched here on out TV sets  at home as some are even more far away and well done than what I see on Kenyan television,” he remarked.

He said his ministry is in the process of facilitating major reforms to enable the sector to be in line with Vision 2030 and the new Constitution.

“As a nation our socio-economic growth should be greatly intertwined with our traditions exhibited through our cultural heritage,” said the Minister.

“Our youth will only understand and embrace our history and culture by being given an opportunity to study the arts and by engaging in the performing arts while in school, it’s through the arts like drama and music that our learners can express their understanding of society and display their skills socially, emotionally and intellectually,” added the Minister.

This year theme was enhancing national cohesion and integration, a theme the minister said was in tandem with the national goals of education which emphasize the need to promote national unity.

Accompanied by assistant minister in the ministry of education Professor Ayiecho Olweny and Calistus Mwatela the three urged their fellow colleagues in parliament to start preaching peace, cohesion and integration nationally this early to ensure calm especially such a time when the country is looking forward toward the next general election.

“We should unify this nation by speaking the same language of peace, we should view all of us as Kenyan’s first before seeing ourselves on tribal lines and that’s the only way we will bring the nation together”, said Mwatela.

Others present include the Director of Education Prof. George Godia who urged the minister to be as well announcing the talent gurus when he is announcing the final result of the national exams.

Godia also urged the minister move to criminalize exam cheating saying that was illegal and those found guilty should face the full wrath of the law.

Also present was Shinyalu MP Kizito Mugali, chairman Kenya  National Drama Festival,  National Cohesion and Integration Commission chairman Mzalendo Kibunjia, deputy  provincial police officer Wiliam Okello Thwere, head teachers, local and international guests.