Characters
Villager – Narrator and conscience of society. Observes, comments, and connects scenes.
David – Independent candidate. Honest, intelligent, broke, and stubborn about principles.
Mûngai – Tribal populist candidate. Loud, charming, shallow. Loves handouts and slogans.
Mwangi – Wealthy, educated, proud candidate. Believes he deserves votes on “merit” only.
Mbûrû – Competent, visionary candidate from a small-vote region. Practical but unlucky politically.
Elder Karanja – Respected village elder, pretends to be neutral but easily swayed.
Mama Wanja – Vendor at Kimende Market. Represents survival mentality.
Youth 1 (Kamau) – Unemployed, sharp tongue, wants “something small.”
Youth 2 (Njeri) – Educated but jobless graduate. Tired of empty promises.
Larians – Group of villagers (chorus): confused, divided, emotional.
Assistant – Mwangi’s political advisor.
MC – Master of ceremonies at rallies.
Moderator – Debate host.
Chief – Local chief.
Crowd – Can be doubled by same actors.
ACT I – Season of Division
Scene 1: Morning in Gitithia Village
(Light comes up on a dusty village path. Sounds of chickens. A dog barks in the distance. Villager walks slowly, carrying a hoe.)
Villager: (steps forward, to audience) Election time again in Lari. The only season when; neighbors turn into campaign managers, Social Media groups turn into war zones, and every boda boda rider suddenly becomes a political analyst. You would think the ballot paper is a magic key to heaven. Here, in Gitithia, we believe one thing very strongly; “If my candidate wins, my life will change.”
(Laughter from offstage. Enter Youth 1 (Kamau) and Youth 2 (Njeri) arguing.)
Kamau: (shouting) I’m telling you, if Mûngai wins, I will get a county job. He promised youth will not be left behind.
Njeri: (scornful) County job? You don’t even have a CV. And his closest youth are in Nairobi. You are a poster boy, not a beneficiary.
Kamau: You are jealous because your candidate is finishing last.
Njeri: At least my candidate has ideas.
Kamau: Ideas don’t pay rent.
(Villager steps slightly between them.)
Villager: Easy, children of Lari. After the elections, remember you will still share the same water tap.
Kamau: (shrugging) As long as my man wins, the rest will fall in place.
Njeri: (smiles sadly) You really believe that? Tell me, Kamau— If your candidate wins, which office will you be in?
(Kamau pauses, genuinely thinking.)
Kamau: (stammering) Eh… Special… Youth… Something Office?
Villager: (laughing bitterly) Special Youth Something Office. That office is located in your dreams, first floor, door written: “Closed until further notice.”
(Lights fade.)
Scene 2: Kimende Market a Place of Campaign Noise
(Market buzz: vendors calling, goats bleating. Mama Wanja arranges cabbages. Villager stands aside.)
Mama Wanja: (shouting) Cabbage moja, ten bob! Buy now before promises become more expensive than vegetables!
(Enter David, with a faded notebook and cheap pen.)
David: (clearing throat) Good people of Lari, good morning. I seek your attention—
Mama Wanja: Not again, David. Are you buying or just talking?
David: I come with a plan. A simple, honest plan to improve our economy—
Passerby 1: Interrupting; first question: do you have something small… for tea?
David: I don’t buy votes.
(Market activity continues uninterested.)
Mama Wanja: Then don’t interfere with market time, mheshimiwa wa maoni (honorable of opinions).
(She turns away.)
David: (to himself, quietly) Strange. Ideas are free… but people cannot afford them.
Villager: (aside to audience) David, our clown of integrity. Intelligent, truthful, and politically suicidal. In this market, a 100-shilling note speaks louder than 100 good ideas.
(Lights dim slightly.)
Scene 3: Mwangi’s Mansion Gate
(We see a gate or simple doorway representing wealth. Mwangi stands with Assistant, holding documents.)
Mwangi: Review the polls again.
Assistant: (reading) You are liked… but not loved. They say you are “too proud” and “too stingy.”
Mwangi: Indignant; Stingy? I am principled! Why must I give out money to be seen as a leader?
Assistant: Because this is politics, sir, not a job interview. They want to feel your generosity, not just see your certificates.
Mwangi: I will not lower myself. Let them vote for quality.
Assistant: (carefully) They will vote for whoever feeds them… even with cheap bread.
Mwangi: (sharply) Enough! My merit will speak.
Assistant: (softly, aside) Merit speaks. But money shouts.
(Lights out on them.)
Scene 4: Mbûrû in the Marginalized Nyanduma Corner
(Simple setup: a small stage edge or rural ground. Three chairs. Only Mbûrû, Elder Karanja, and one Villager sit.)
Mbûrû: I have a detailed plan: better roads, health centers, small industries in our forgotten areas—
Elder Karanja: Thoughtful; we like your mind, Mbûrû. You speak sense.
Villager: (Chorus role) But our region is small. We do not have many votes. Even if we give you 100%, you’ll still lose.
Mbûrû: Then let every vote become a statement. Let each drop of water count.
Villager: Drops count in a bucket that is not leaking, Mheshimiwa.
Villager: (narrator, stepping forward from shadow) Mbûrû, the clown of excellence. He is like a bright lamp… placed in a storeroom where no one goes.
(Lights fade to black.)
ACT II – The Fire of Campaigns
Scene 1: Social Media War – A Split Stage
(Stage split into two areas. On each side, small groups of villagers pretend to read phones and voice-note. Messages are “acted out” aloud.)
Group 1 (Pro-Mûngai camp)
Kamau: (loudly, as if reading a WhatsApp text) “Forwarded many times: MÛNGAI IS THE ONLY TRUE SON OF THE SOIL. Others are projects of enemies. Share to ten people if you love Lari!”
Group 1 Villagers: (shouting) We love Lari!
Villager 1: “If he wins, every youth will get a job.”
(crowd reacts with excitement)
Group 2 (Mixed support)
Njeri: (reading) “Forwarded once: Leaders enjoy good cars, big salaries, and contracts for their friends. You and I remain in Gitithia. Think before you fight your neighbor.”
Group 2 Villager: This message is too wise. It will die in one group only.
Njeri: Yes. Truth doesn’t go viral.
Villager: (narrator, walking between groups) Look at us Larians. Divided by people who will go to parliament, not to Gitithia, Kiandutu, Kariguini, Karia-ini or Korio. We insult each other. Block each other. Leave Larian sober groups. All for people who don’t even know where our houses are. Which office will you be in, again?
(Lights shift.)
Scene 2: Rally at Kimende – Mûngai’s Show
(Music blasts. MC hyping the crowd. Flags and colors.)
MC: Ladies and gentlemen! Clap until your hands beg for mercy! Welcome… the incoming honorable… the champion of the tribe… MÛUUUUUNGAI!!
(Enter Mûngai, waving like a celebrity.)
Crowd: Chanting; Mûngai! Mûngai! Our son! Our hope!
Mûngai: My people! When I win, our lives will change. Roads will appear like miracles. Jobs will fall from the sky like rain in April. Schools will be better than Nairobi ones!
Youth 1 (Kamau): shouting; What about us youth?
Mûngai: Ah, youth! The engine of the nation! Each time I visit, I will leave something for you.
(He lifts a bundle of 100-shilling notes, shows them.)
Crowd: Screams, pushing forward.
Mûngai: Today, everyone gets 100 shillings. Take this as a tasting of the future!
(Stampede. They run, shove, scramble.)
Villager: (narrator, aside) Observe. He gives out coins today to buy the keys of tomorrow. Tomorrow, he will use the keys to carry away the whole safe.
(Lights on people scrambling for money. Fade.)
Scene 3: David’s Small Meeting
(Under a tree in Githirioni. David speaks to a few youths: Njeri, a couple of silent extras.)
David: I know I don’t have money to give. But I have a different promise. I promise to push for real development: proper bursaries, fair job criteria, small industries support, transparency.
Njeri: We like what you are saying, David.
Youth Extra: But the problem is, we are hungry now. The landlord is not interested in “transparency.”
David: But if we keep voting for handouts, we are selling our future.
Youth Extra: Maybe. But hunger is stronger than future.
(The two youths slowly drift away to another group which is listening to Mûngai’s people singing in the distance.)
David: (to himself) Honesty is the longest road in politics. Sometimes I wonder if it even has an end.
Villager: (narrator) Poor David. He plants seeds of integrity in a soil that has been watered by quick money for decades.
(Lights dim.)
Scene 4: Mwangi’s Door-to-Door
(A simple door is center stage. Mwangi knocks. Mama Wanja opens.)
Mama Wanja: Who is disturbing my rest?
Mwangi: (smiling) Good afternoon, madam. I am Mwangi, aspiring MP. I have a wonderful manifesto—
Mama Wanja: Do you have something small?
Mwangi: No, but I have great policies on empowering small businesswomen.
Mama Wanja: Policies don’t cook ugali, mheshimiwa. When business is bad, my children don’t eat “policy.”
(She begins closing the door.)
Mwangi: Please, give me a chance—
Mama Wanja: Come back when your “chance” can be broken into 100 shillings.
(Door shuts.)
Mwangi: (crushed) Why can’t they see my value? I am the best qualified!
Villager: (narrator) You see the pattern? The leaders complain voters want money. The voters complain leaders want power. Yet both continue dancing around each other, lying politely.
(Lights change.)
Scene 5: The Grand Debate
(Chairs and podiums. Moderator, David, Mûngai, Mwangi, Mbûrû. Crowd of Larians watches.)
Moderator: Welcome, people of larger Lari, to the great debate. One question for all candidates:
“How will you change the lives of ordinary people like those in Gitithia, Githogoiyo, Nduriri, Mbau-ini and Thiririka?”
Mbûrû: I will promote small industries, provide training for youth, and ensure services reach even the smallest village. Development will not just remain in upper Lari.
(Crowd listens politely.)
David: I will fight corruption, strengthen schools and clinics, and make sure resources are shared fairly among the Lari villages, not just to friends and relatives of leaders.
(Some quiet nods.)
Mwangi: I will bring professionalism and clean governance. I have the education and network to move this constituency forward.
(A few claps from “serious-looking” people.)
Moderator: Mûngai, your answer?
Mûngai: (grinning) How will I change your lives? Simple. I am one of you. I speak like you. I eat what you eat. And you know me—I don’t come empty-handed. (He pulls out notes, waves them.) Today, I don’t have English. I have 100 shillings for each of you!
(Crowd explodes.)
Crowd: Mûngai! Mûngai! We love you!
Mbûrû: (whispers to David) We are finished.
David: No, my friend. We were finished the day we put a price tag on our votes.
(Lights slowly fade as the crowd chants one name only: “Mûngai! Mûngai!”)
ACT III – After The Dust Settles
Scene 1: Polling Station – Election Day
(Queue of voters. Excitement. Chief and officers present.)
Villager 1: I voted for Mûngai. He gave me something. At least I have tea for today.
Villager 2: I voted for our tribe. These other candidates are strangers.
Njeri: I wanted to vote for David… but honestly, I needed that 100 shillings last week. (sighs) So I voted for the donor of the week.
Villager: (narrator) See. The circus is in full performance. The clowns are on stage, but the audience is the one paying with their future.
(Lights shift.)
Scene 2: Results Announcement
(Drum roll. Chief, Moderator, candidates on stage, crowd gathered.)
Moderator: The results are in. In fourth place: Mbûrû.
(Mbûrû bows slightly, dignified.)
Moderator: In third place: Mwangi.
(Mwangi forces a smile.)
Moderator: In second place: David.
(David nods, gently.)
Moderator: And your next Member of Parliament is… MÛNGAI!
(Crowd goes wild. Songs, ululations.)
Mûngai: (dancing) My people! You have chosen well! You have chosen your son! You have chosen your… (he pauses, dramatic) …your ATM!
(Crowd roars with laughter and joy.)
Villager: (narrator, aside) Yes. The ATM has been installed in parliament. But only a few have the PIN.
(Lights fade.)
Scene 3: Three Months Later – The Waiting
(Gitithia village again. The same path. Life as usual. Kamau sits, idle. Njeri passes with a jerrycan.)
Kamau: (disappointed) Njeri… have you seen Mûngai?
Njeri: On TV.
Kamau: I mean here in Gitithia.
Njeri: No. His vehicle passes along Nyambari. The siren is loud, though.
Kamau: I thought… I thought I would get a job.
Njeri: Did he promise you directly or through the microphone?
Kamau: Through the microphone.
Njeri: Then the job also came through the microphone. It was loud but invisible.
(Kamau sighs.)
Kamau: But he is our son. Surely, he will remember us?
Njeri: Does he know your surname?
Kamau: … No.
Njeri: There you have your answer.
(They sit in silence.)
Scene 4: The Office of Opportunities – Nairobi
(A symbolic “big office” sign: “Hon. Mûngai – Constituency Office (Nairobi Annex)”. Mûngai sits behind a desk with three “Friends”; Friend 1, Friend 2, Friend 3.)
Friend 1: Mheshimiwa, remember the promise about contracts?
Mûngai: Of course! You will handle the road maintenance tender.
Friend 2: And me?
Mûngai: You take the supply contract for office furniture and eqipments.
Friend 3: And me?
Mûngai: You will be… “Special Advisor on Youth Affairs.”
(All laugh.)
Friend 1: What about the villagers back in Lari?
Mûngai: They already got their share.
Friend 2: When?
Mûngai: During campaigns; 100 shillings, t-shirts, songs. What more do they want?
Friend 3: (chuckling) They want jobs.
Mûngai: Let them hustle. My work is policy. And taking care of those who helped me get here— (He pats their shoulders.) You, my real people.
(Lights dim.)
Scene 5: The Final Reflection – Back to Gitithia
(All four candidates appear on stage in semi-darkness: David, Mûngai, Mwangi, Mbûrû. Villager (narrator) walks in front of them.)
Mbûrû: I had vision… but not enough voters.
Mwangi: I had money… but not generosity.
David: I had ideas… but no budget.
Mûngai: And I had 100-shilling notes and the right surname.
(He laughs.)
Villager: (narrator) And you, people of Lari, what did you have? You had a vote. You had neighbors. You had hope… and fear… and hunger. You sold your vote and bought your own suffering. You fought your neighbor and protected a politician who doesn’t know your gate (He steps forward, takes center.) Listen carefully; if you do not have a close relationship with these leaders— If they do not call you by name, If you are not their cousin, schoolmate, or drinking partner, which office will you be in? (He looks around. Silence.) None. You and I will be in the same old office; “Chief Executive Officer, Hard Work and Hustle, Gitithia or Matathia or Kariko or Karatina Branch.” (He points outward to the audience.) So let us stop dividing ourselves because of people who already have their lives arranged. If today I am doing manual work in Hato, Let me think: how can I upgrade my life? Not by shouting louder for a candidate, But by learning, saving, trying small businesses, supporting my neighbor. Leaders have one main job: To keep peace and stability, So that you and I can work safely. Changing our lives? That is our job. Let us choose friendship over factions, Hard work over handouts, Unity over useless quarrels. Because when democracy elects a clown, The country becomes a circus…But when citizens wake up, Even the clowns start behaving. (He raises his hand.)
Villager: The circus of expectations is over. Tomorrow, the real show begins; the show where you and I decide what to do with our lives— Without waiting for an invitation letter from any office.
(Lights slowly dim on all characters. They freeze in silhouette.)
Curtain.
Villager – Narrator and conscience of society. Observes, comments, and connects scenes.
David – Independent candidate. Honest, intelligent, broke, and stubborn about principles.
Mûngai – Tribal populist candidate. Loud, charming, shallow. Loves handouts and slogans.
Mwangi – Wealthy, educated, proud candidate. Believes he deserves votes on “merit” only.
Mbûrû – Competent, visionary candidate from a small-vote region. Practical but unlucky politically.
Elder Karanja – Respected village elder, pretends to be neutral but easily swayed.
Mama Wanja – Vendor at Kimende Market. Represents survival mentality.
Youth 1 (Kamau) – Unemployed, sharp tongue, wants “something small.”
Youth 2 (Njeri) – Educated but jobless graduate. Tired of empty promises.
Larians – Group of villagers (chorus): confused, divided, emotional.
Assistant – Mwangi’s political advisor.
MC – Master of ceremonies at rallies.
Moderator – Debate host.
Chief – Local chief.
Crowd – Can be doubled by same actors.
ACT I – Season of Division
Scene 1: Morning in Gitithia Village
(Light comes up on a dusty village path. Sounds of chickens. A dog barks in the distance. Villager walks slowly, carrying a hoe.)
Villager: (steps forward, to audience) Election time again in Lari. The only season when; neighbors turn into campaign managers, Social Media groups turn into war zones, and every boda boda rider suddenly becomes a political analyst. You would think the ballot paper is a magic key to heaven. Here, in Gitithia, we believe one thing very strongly; “If my candidate wins, my life will change.”
(Laughter from offstage. Enter Youth 1 (Kamau) and Youth 2 (Njeri) arguing.)
Kamau: (shouting) I’m telling you, if Mûngai wins, I will get a county job. He promised youth will not be left behind.
Njeri: (scornful) County job? You don’t even have a CV. And his closest youth are in Nairobi. You are a poster boy, not a beneficiary.
Kamau: You are jealous because your candidate is finishing last.
Njeri: At least my candidate has ideas.
Kamau: Ideas don’t pay rent.
(Villager steps slightly between them.)
Villager: Easy, children of Lari. After the elections, remember you will still share the same water tap.
Kamau: (shrugging) As long as my man wins, the rest will fall in place.
Njeri: (smiles sadly) You really believe that? Tell me, Kamau— If your candidate wins, which office will you be in?
(Kamau pauses, genuinely thinking.)
Kamau: (stammering) Eh… Special… Youth… Something Office?
Villager: (laughing bitterly) Special Youth Something Office. That office is located in your dreams, first floor, door written: “Closed until further notice.”
(Lights fade.)
Scene 2: Kimende Market a Place of Campaign Noise
(Market buzz: vendors calling, goats bleating. Mama Wanja arranges cabbages. Villager stands aside.)
Mama Wanja: (shouting) Cabbage moja, ten bob! Buy now before promises become more expensive than vegetables!
(Enter David, with a faded notebook and cheap pen.)
David: (clearing throat) Good people of Lari, good morning. I seek your attention—
Mama Wanja: Not again, David. Are you buying or just talking?
David: I come with a plan. A simple, honest plan to improve our economy—
Passerby 1: Interrupting; first question: do you have something small… for tea?
David: I don’t buy votes.
(Market activity continues uninterested.)
Mama Wanja: Then don’t interfere with market time, mheshimiwa wa maoni (honorable of opinions).
(She turns away.)
David: (to himself, quietly) Strange. Ideas are free… but people cannot afford them.
Villager: (aside to audience) David, our clown of integrity. Intelligent, truthful, and politically suicidal. In this market, a 100-shilling note speaks louder than 100 good ideas.
(Lights dim slightly.)
Scene 3: Mwangi’s Mansion Gate
(We see a gate or simple doorway representing wealth. Mwangi stands with Assistant, holding documents.)
Mwangi: Review the polls again.
Assistant: (reading) You are liked… but not loved. They say you are “too proud” and “too stingy.”
Mwangi: Indignant; Stingy? I am principled! Why must I give out money to be seen as a leader?
Assistant: Because this is politics, sir, not a job interview. They want to feel your generosity, not just see your certificates.
Mwangi: I will not lower myself. Let them vote for quality.
Assistant: (carefully) They will vote for whoever feeds them… even with cheap bread.
Mwangi: (sharply) Enough! My merit will speak.
Assistant: (softly, aside) Merit speaks. But money shouts.
(Lights out on them.)
Scene 4: Mbûrû in the Marginalized Nyanduma Corner
(Simple setup: a small stage edge or rural ground. Three chairs. Only Mbûrû, Elder Karanja, and one Villager sit.)
Mbûrû: I have a detailed plan: better roads, health centers, small industries in our forgotten areas—
Elder Karanja: Thoughtful; we like your mind, Mbûrû. You speak sense.
Villager: (Chorus role) But our region is small. We do not have many votes. Even if we give you 100%, you’ll still lose.
Mbûrû: Then let every vote become a statement. Let each drop of water count.
Villager: Drops count in a bucket that is not leaking, Mheshimiwa.
Villager: (narrator, stepping forward from shadow) Mbûrû, the clown of excellence. He is like a bright lamp… placed in a storeroom where no one goes.
(Lights fade to black.)
ACT II – The Fire of Campaigns
Scene 1: Social Media War – A Split Stage
(Stage split into two areas. On each side, small groups of villagers pretend to read phones and voice-note. Messages are “acted out” aloud.)
Group 1 (Pro-Mûngai camp)
Kamau: (loudly, as if reading a WhatsApp text) “Forwarded many times: MÛNGAI IS THE ONLY TRUE SON OF THE SOIL. Others are projects of enemies. Share to ten people if you love Lari!”
Group 1 Villagers: (shouting) We love Lari!
Villager 1: “If he wins, every youth will get a job.”
(crowd reacts with excitement)
Group 2 (Mixed support)
Njeri: (reading) “Forwarded once: Leaders enjoy good cars, big salaries, and contracts for their friends. You and I remain in Gitithia. Think before you fight your neighbor.”
Group 2 Villager: This message is too wise. It will die in one group only.
Njeri: Yes. Truth doesn’t go viral.
Villager: (narrator, walking between groups) Look at us Larians. Divided by people who will go to parliament, not to Gitithia, Kiandutu, Kariguini, Karia-ini or Korio. We insult each other. Block each other. Leave Larian sober groups. All for people who don’t even know where our houses are. Which office will you be in, again?
(Lights shift.)
Scene 2: Rally at Kimende – Mûngai’s Show
(Music blasts. MC hyping the crowd. Flags and colors.)
MC: Ladies and gentlemen! Clap until your hands beg for mercy! Welcome… the incoming honorable… the champion of the tribe… MÛUUUUUNGAI!!
(Enter Mûngai, waving like a celebrity.)
Crowd: Chanting; Mûngai! Mûngai! Our son! Our hope!
Mûngai: My people! When I win, our lives will change. Roads will appear like miracles. Jobs will fall from the sky like rain in April. Schools will be better than Nairobi ones!
Youth 1 (Kamau): shouting; What about us youth?
Mûngai: Ah, youth! The engine of the nation! Each time I visit, I will leave something for you.
(He lifts a bundle of 100-shilling notes, shows them.)
Crowd: Screams, pushing forward.
Mûngai: Today, everyone gets 100 shillings. Take this as a tasting of the future!
(Stampede. They run, shove, scramble.)
Villager: (narrator, aside) Observe. He gives out coins today to buy the keys of tomorrow. Tomorrow, he will use the keys to carry away the whole safe.
(Lights on people scrambling for money. Fade.)
Scene 3: David’s Small Meeting
(Under a tree in Githirioni. David speaks to a few youths: Njeri, a couple of silent extras.)
David: I know I don’t have money to give. But I have a different promise. I promise to push for real development: proper bursaries, fair job criteria, small industries support, transparency.
Njeri: We like what you are saying, David.
Youth Extra: But the problem is, we are hungry now. The landlord is not interested in “transparency.”
David: But if we keep voting for handouts, we are selling our future.
Youth Extra: Maybe. But hunger is stronger than future.
(The two youths slowly drift away to another group which is listening to Mûngai’s people singing in the distance.)
David: (to himself) Honesty is the longest road in politics. Sometimes I wonder if it even has an end.
Villager: (narrator) Poor David. He plants seeds of integrity in a soil that has been watered by quick money for decades.
(Lights dim.)
Scene 4: Mwangi’s Door-to-Door
(A simple door is center stage. Mwangi knocks. Mama Wanja opens.)
Mama Wanja: Who is disturbing my rest?
Mwangi: (smiling) Good afternoon, madam. I am Mwangi, aspiring MP. I have a wonderful manifesto—
Mama Wanja: Do you have something small?
Mwangi: No, but I have great policies on empowering small businesswomen.
Mama Wanja: Policies don’t cook ugali, mheshimiwa. When business is bad, my children don’t eat “policy.”
(She begins closing the door.)
Mwangi: Please, give me a chance—
Mama Wanja: Come back when your “chance” can be broken into 100 shillings.
(Door shuts.)
Mwangi: (crushed) Why can’t they see my value? I am the best qualified!
Villager: (narrator) You see the pattern? The leaders complain voters want money. The voters complain leaders want power. Yet both continue dancing around each other, lying politely.
(Lights change.)
Scene 5: The Grand Debate
(Chairs and podiums. Moderator, David, Mûngai, Mwangi, Mbûrû. Crowd of Larians watches.)
Moderator: Welcome, people of larger Lari, to the great debate. One question for all candidates:
“How will you change the lives of ordinary people like those in Gitithia, Githogoiyo, Nduriri, Mbau-ini and Thiririka?”
Mbûrû: I will promote small industries, provide training for youth, and ensure services reach even the smallest village. Development will not just remain in upper Lari.
(Crowd listens politely.)
David: I will fight corruption, strengthen schools and clinics, and make sure resources are shared fairly among the Lari villages, not just to friends and relatives of leaders.
(Some quiet nods.)
Mwangi: I will bring professionalism and clean governance. I have the education and network to move this constituency forward.
(A few claps from “serious-looking” people.)
Moderator: Mûngai, your answer?
Mûngai: (grinning) How will I change your lives? Simple. I am one of you. I speak like you. I eat what you eat. And you know me—I don’t come empty-handed. (He pulls out notes, waves them.) Today, I don’t have English. I have 100 shillings for each of you!
(Crowd explodes.)
Crowd: Mûngai! Mûngai! We love you!
Mbûrû: (whispers to David) We are finished.
David: No, my friend. We were finished the day we put a price tag on our votes.
(Lights slowly fade as the crowd chants one name only: “Mûngai! Mûngai!”)
ACT III – After The Dust Settles
Scene 1: Polling Station – Election Day
(Queue of voters. Excitement. Chief and officers present.)
Villager 1: I voted for Mûngai. He gave me something. At least I have tea for today.
Villager 2: I voted for our tribe. These other candidates are strangers.
Njeri: I wanted to vote for David… but honestly, I needed that 100 shillings last week. (sighs) So I voted for the donor of the week.
Villager: (narrator) See. The circus is in full performance. The clowns are on stage, but the audience is the one paying with their future.
(Lights shift.)
Scene 2: Results Announcement
(Drum roll. Chief, Moderator, candidates on stage, crowd gathered.)
Moderator: The results are in. In fourth place: Mbûrû.
(Mbûrû bows slightly, dignified.)
Moderator: In third place: Mwangi.
(Mwangi forces a smile.)
Moderator: In second place: David.
(David nods, gently.)
Moderator: And your next Member of Parliament is… MÛNGAI!
(Crowd goes wild. Songs, ululations.)
Mûngai: (dancing) My people! You have chosen well! You have chosen your son! You have chosen your… (he pauses, dramatic) …your ATM!
(Crowd roars with laughter and joy.)
Villager: (narrator, aside) Yes. The ATM has been installed in parliament. But only a few have the PIN.
(Lights fade.)
Scene 3: Three Months Later – The Waiting
(Gitithia village again. The same path. Life as usual. Kamau sits, idle. Njeri passes with a jerrycan.)
Kamau: (disappointed) Njeri… have you seen Mûngai?
Njeri: On TV.
Kamau: I mean here in Gitithia.
Njeri: No. His vehicle passes along Nyambari. The siren is loud, though.
Kamau: I thought… I thought I would get a job.
Njeri: Did he promise you directly or through the microphone?
Kamau: Through the microphone.
Njeri: Then the job also came through the microphone. It was loud but invisible.
(Kamau sighs.)
Kamau: But he is our son. Surely, he will remember us?
Njeri: Does he know your surname?
Kamau: … No.
Njeri: There you have your answer.
(They sit in silence.)
Scene 4: The Office of Opportunities – Nairobi
(A symbolic “big office” sign: “Hon. Mûngai – Constituency Office (Nairobi Annex)”. Mûngai sits behind a desk with three “Friends”; Friend 1, Friend 2, Friend 3.)
Friend 1: Mheshimiwa, remember the promise about contracts?
Mûngai: Of course! You will handle the road maintenance tender.
Friend 2: And me?
Mûngai: You take the supply contract for office furniture and eqipments.
Friend 3: And me?
Mûngai: You will be… “Special Advisor on Youth Affairs.”
(All laugh.)
Friend 1: What about the villagers back in Lari?
Mûngai: They already got their share.
Friend 2: When?
Mûngai: During campaigns; 100 shillings, t-shirts, songs. What more do they want?
Friend 3: (chuckling) They want jobs.
Mûngai: Let them hustle. My work is policy. And taking care of those who helped me get here— (He pats their shoulders.) You, my real people.
(Lights dim.)
Scene 5: The Final Reflection – Back to Gitithia
(All four candidates appear on stage in semi-darkness: David, Mûngai, Mwangi, Mbûrû. Villager (narrator) walks in front of them.)
Mbûrû: I had vision… but not enough voters.
Mwangi: I had money… but not generosity.
David: I had ideas… but no budget.
Mûngai: And I had 100-shilling notes and the right surname.
(He laughs.)
Villager: (narrator) And you, people of Lari, what did you have? You had a vote. You had neighbors. You had hope… and fear… and hunger. You sold your vote and bought your own suffering. You fought your neighbor and protected a politician who doesn’t know your gate (He steps forward, takes center.) Listen carefully; if you do not have a close relationship with these leaders— If they do not call you by name, If you are not their cousin, schoolmate, or drinking partner, which office will you be in? (He looks around. Silence.) None. You and I will be in the same old office; “Chief Executive Officer, Hard Work and Hustle, Gitithia or Matathia or Kariko or Karatina Branch.” (He points outward to the audience.) So let us stop dividing ourselves because of people who already have their lives arranged. If today I am doing manual work in Hato, Let me think: how can I upgrade my life? Not by shouting louder for a candidate, But by learning, saving, trying small businesses, supporting my neighbor. Leaders have one main job: To keep peace and stability, So that you and I can work safely. Changing our lives? That is our job. Let us choose friendship over factions, Hard work over handouts, Unity over useless quarrels. Because when democracy elects a clown, The country becomes a circus…But when citizens wake up, Even the clowns start behaving. (He raises his hand.)
Villager: The circus of expectations is over. Tomorrow, the real show begins; the show where you and I decide what to do with our lives— Without waiting for an invitation letter from any office.
(Lights slowly dim on all characters. They freeze in silhouette.)
Curtain.
