IN SHORT: The high school has been in the national spotlight after the government lost a court battle to stop its play from being performed. But no evidence supports alarming claims that the school lost students in the controversy.

Two widely circulated videos, one on TikTok and another on YouTube, falsely claim that students from Kenya’s Butere Girls high school died. The school has been making headlines and dominating social media conversations over its controversial play, Echoes of War.

The TikTok clip is just 32 seconds long and shows a close-up image of a woman looking into the distance, set to dramatic music. Its caption reads: “Breaking News. One student from Butere Girls is died.” It offers no proof beyond that.

The YouTube video, titled “R.I.P Butere Girls student [3] shot dead in Nakuru on stage”, shows a graphic of the play alongside clips of students performing.

The video starts with applause as a girl says, “he must go”, followed by what sounds like gunshots or fireworks. The same voice continues, criticising the government and expressing the frustration of the country’s Generation Z.

A Kiswahili narration then begins, summarising the controversy surrounding the play. It claims that police tear-gassed students while protecting playwright Cleophas Malala and seriously injured several others. The narrator attributes these claims to Malala.

The two clips have been viewed more than 62,000 times.

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