A Political Satirical Play
Characters
Gichuka Waithera – A principled, truthful man seeking the Lari MP seat
Mungai – A seasoned political manipulator
Njuguna – Founder of a “charitable foundation”
Wa Mwai – A smooth-talking aspirant with “scholarships”
Mama Kanini – A market woman and voter
Kamau – A boda boda rider
The Elder – Represents the conscience of Lari
Crowd / Voters
Act One: The Season of Promises
(A dusty Mwimutoni village in Lari. Campaign posters are being pasted hurriedly. A loudspeaker blares music. Voters gather.)
Mama Kanini: Ah! It has begun again. The season of love.
Kamau: (Laughs) You mean the season of lies, Mama.
Mama Kanini: No, my son. Love. This is when leaders remember our names.
(Enter Njuguna, waving, surrounded by young men wearing T-shirts with “Njuguna Foundation – Hope for Orphans.”)
Njuguna: My people of Lari! I have come with a mission. No orphan shall sleep hungry again!
Crowd: (Cheers)
Kamau: (Whispers) He was last seen five years ago.
Mama Kanini: Silence! Let him speak. Hunger listens to promises.
(Enter Wa Mwai with glossy flyers.)
Wa Mwai: I am sponsoring poor children through high school. Education is the key!
Crowd: (Even louder cheers)
(At the edge stands Gichuka Waithera, quiet, holding simple pamphlets.)
Gichuka: (Softly) These projects will end after elections.
(No one listens.)
Act Two: The Honest Man
(A small Kimende community hall. A few plastic chairs. Gichuka addresses a thin audience.)
Gichuka: People of Lari, I will not lie to you. Development takes time. Roads are built with budgets, not speeches. Scholarships must be sustained, not seasonal.
(The crowd murmurs, bored.)
Voter 1: So… no handouts?
Gichuka: No manipulation.
(Silence.)
(Enter Mungai, clapping sarcastically.)
Mungai: Ah, Gichuka Waithera. You still believe voters want truth?
Gichuka: They deserve it.
Mungai: No. They crave hope—manufactured hope. Three months to elections, you give them programs. After elections, you disappear. That is democracy, my friend.
Gichuka: That is betrayal.
Mungai: (Laughs) No. That is strategy.
(Lights dim.)
Act Three: After The Ballots
(Election results announced. Mungai wins. Celebrations fade. Time passes. Posters peel off. The village returns to dust.)
Mama Kanini: (Calling out) Where is Njuguna? The orphans are hungry.
Kamau: Gone.
Mama Kanini: And Wa Mwai? The school fees?
Kamau: Gone.
(Silence. Enter The Elder.)
The Elder: You chose sweet lies over bitter truth.
(Gichuka stands alone, watching.)
Gichuka: I knew this would happen.
Mama Kanini: (Softly) Why didn’t we listen?
The Elder: Because Lari does not listen to sound men. Lari listens to liars who sing well.
(A pause.)
Gichuka: One day, truth will campaign again. And maybe then, Lari will be ready.
(Lights fade.)
Characters
Gichuka Waithera – A principled, truthful man seeking the Lari MP seat
Mungai – A seasoned political manipulator
Njuguna – Founder of a “charitable foundation”
Wa Mwai – A smooth-talking aspirant with “scholarships”
Mama Kanini – A market woman and voter
Kamau – A boda boda rider
The Elder – Represents the conscience of Lari
Crowd / Voters
Act One: The Season of Promises
(A dusty Mwimutoni village in Lari. Campaign posters are being pasted hurriedly. A loudspeaker blares music. Voters gather.)
Mama Kanini: Ah! It has begun again. The season of love.
Kamau: (Laughs) You mean the season of lies, Mama.
Mama Kanini: No, my son. Love. This is when leaders remember our names.
(Enter Njuguna, waving, surrounded by young men wearing T-shirts with “Njuguna Foundation – Hope for Orphans.”)
Njuguna: My people of Lari! I have come with a mission. No orphan shall sleep hungry again!
Crowd: (Cheers)
Kamau: (Whispers) He was last seen five years ago.
Mama Kanini: Silence! Let him speak. Hunger listens to promises.
(Enter Wa Mwai with glossy flyers.)
Wa Mwai: I am sponsoring poor children through high school. Education is the key!
Crowd: (Even louder cheers)
(At the edge stands Gichuka Waithera, quiet, holding simple pamphlets.)
Gichuka: (Softly) These projects will end after elections.
(No one listens.)
Act Two: The Honest Man
(A small Kimende community hall. A few plastic chairs. Gichuka addresses a thin audience.)
Gichuka: People of Lari, I will not lie to you. Development takes time. Roads are built with budgets, not speeches. Scholarships must be sustained, not seasonal.
(The crowd murmurs, bored.)
Voter 1: So… no handouts?
Gichuka: No manipulation.
(Silence.)
(Enter Mungai, clapping sarcastically.)
Mungai: Ah, Gichuka Waithera. You still believe voters want truth?
Gichuka: They deserve it.
Mungai: No. They crave hope—manufactured hope. Three months to elections, you give them programs. After elections, you disappear. That is democracy, my friend.
Gichuka: That is betrayal.
Mungai: (Laughs) No. That is strategy.
(Lights dim.)
Act Three: After The Ballots
(Election results announced. Mungai wins. Celebrations fade. Time passes. Posters peel off. The village returns to dust.)
Mama Kanini: (Calling out) Where is Njuguna? The orphans are hungry.
Kamau: Gone.
Mama Kanini: And Wa Mwai? The school fees?
Kamau: Gone.
(Silence. Enter The Elder.)
The Elder: You chose sweet lies over bitter truth.
(Gichuka stands alone, watching.)
Gichuka: I knew this would happen.
Mama Kanini: (Softly) Why didn’t we listen?
The Elder: Because Lari does not listen to sound men. Lari listens to liars who sing well.
(A pause.)
Gichuka: One day, truth will campaign again. And maybe then, Lari will be ready.
(Lights fade.)
