Death and the Future selected for the Kenya International Theatre Festival
A major performance created through arts-based collaborative research project Communication and Creativity returned to the National Theatre in Nairobi this month as part of KITFest 2026.
Now in its 11th edition, the Kenya International Theatre Festival (KITFest) is Kenya's most established platform for live performance, cultural exchange and creative learning.
At the 2025 edition alone, the festival hosted 52 productions from 18 countries, trained over 300 creatives, activated 10 venues across Nairobi, and generated 27.7 million media impressions.
Death and The Future at the National Theatre, Nairobi, August 2026. Photo by Rony and Raymond. © Communication and Creativity.
Rich with community stories and Luo folk stories, Death and The Future is a one act play where the community have been summoned to the funeral of the future.
Throughout this hour-long production, questions are asked as to who has killed the future and who should face judgement as a result of their actions in the community. The audience are invited to question what future they want to see and what needs to be done to achieve it.
Simon Peter Otieno (Cultural Historian) and Matthew Elliott (Director) with the cast of Death and the Future at the National Theatre, August 2026. Photo by Rony and Raymond. © Communication and Creativity.
The final production was the culmination of three years’ work led by the Communication and Creativity research team, working alongside arts practitioners from Equator Ensemble and in collaboration with the communities of Kagaga and Osiri in Nyando Sub-County, Kenya.
The creative team for the performance was led by the project’s Principal Investigator Dr Matthew Elliott from the School of Performance and Cultural Industries at the University of Leeds, and Co-Investigator Dr Simon Peter Otieno from the Department of Literature at the University of Nairobi.
Death and The Future was originally performed in August 2026 over two nights at Kisumu Social Hall, with two final performances at the Kenya National Theatre in Nairobi.
Cast and crew of Death and the Future outside the Kenya National Theatre in August 2026. Photo by Rony and Raymond. © Communication and Creativity.
Death and the Future returned to the Kenya National Theatre on Monday 9 November, having been selected for this year's KITFest alongside productions from across the world.
The performance was once again delivered by its 20-member community ensemble alongside professional actors from Equator Ensemble.
Performance of Death and The Future at the National Theatre, Nairobi, August 2026. Photo by Rony and Raymond. © Communication and Creativity.
Kevin Kimani Kahuro, Chairperson for the Kenya International Theatre Festival Trust, said:
“I am delighted to invite the Communication and Creativity team to present the arts-based research play, Death and the Future, at KITFest 2026, Kenya's flagship international theatre festival.
“The collaborative, cross-institutional nature of the work between the University of Leeds and the University of Nairobi reflects precisely the kind of artistic and academic exchange KITFest exists to champion.
“We believe our audiences and fellow artists will engage deeply with the questions this piece raises.”
Scene from Death and The Future at the National Theatre, Nairobi, August 2026. Photo by Rony and Raymond. © Communication and Creativity.
Dr Matthew Elliott, Principal Investigator for the Community and Creativity project and Director for Death and the Future, said:
“It is an honour to be invited to this year's Kenya International Theatre Festival.
“Death and the Future provides a living example of two important claims that arts-based research can be theatrically ambitious and community performance is just as important than 'mainstream' professional theatre work.
“Echoing the ambitions of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o's Kamiriithu project, the performance of Death and the Future at KITFest 2026 offers space for marginalised communities to tell their own stories and societal critiques on the national stage of Kenya.
“The original four performances in August exceeded the team's expectations and it is a privilege to restage this work for KITFest and share the research stories with an international audience.”
Death and The Future at the National Theatre, Nairobi, August 2026. Photo by Rony and Raymond. © Communication and Creativity.
Pamela Adhiambo Olemo is an elder from Kagaga and plays Old Woman 1 in Death and the Future. Pamela said:
“I’m very happy to be going back to the National Theatre for KITFest.
“As a community, we had only recently heard about KITFest and are happy to show our play once again in Nairobi and meet people from other countries. Performing it again will make us stronger and the play even better.
“Even in the communities where we live – Kagaga and Osiri Kanyipola – people have heard that we are going back to Nairobi again. They thought this was a small thing but it has turned out to be big. So now, even those who did not take part in the project now want to join us and see what we have been doing.”
'Old Woman 1' (played by Pamela Adhiambo Olemo) in Death and The Future at the National Theatre, Nairobi, August 2026. Photo by Rony and Raymond. © Communication and Creativity.
Charity Koga is an actor and facilitator from Equator Ensemble, and plays the role of the Judge in the performance. Charity said:
“Being part of KITFest 2026 is a proud and exciting milestone for Equator Ensemble. It gives us an opportunity to take our stories beyond borders, showcase our culture, connect with international artists and learn through cultural exchange.
“Presenting Death and the Future on an international platform reminds us that stories from our local communities have a global voice.
“We are proud to represent Kenya and share a piece of who we are with the world.”
Charity Koga (right of photo) as the Judge in Death and The Future at the National Theatre, Nairobi, August 2026. Photo by Rony and Raymond. © Communication and Creativity.
More information
Communication and Creativity is an arts-based collaborative research project spanning across Kenya, Uganda and the UK. Founded by the late Professor Jane Plastow in 2023, this three-year AHRC-funded project is concerned with communication and creativity, seeing the two as linked and essential to human development.
The project is hosted by the University of Leeds, in collaboration with project partners Makerere University (Uganda), University of Nairobi (Kenya), Arts Applied Uganda, We Are Walukuba (Uganda), Equator Ensemble (Kenya), University College London (UK), Mafwa Theatre (UK) and Leeds Refugee Forum (UK). Find out more on the Communication and Creativity website.
The Kenya International Film Festival (KITFest) runs for 13 days, from 3 to 15 November 2026, at the Kenya National Theatre (KNT) in Nairobi, bringing together 200+ Kenyan artists and 184 international artists from 20 countries across five continents.
The Kenya International Theatre Festival Trust (KITFT) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and developing theatre arts in Kenya and across Africa. Established to foster cultural exchange and artistic excellence, KITFT serves as a platform for local and international theatre practitioners to showcase their talents and share diverse cultural narratives.
Find out more about the creative research process leading to the production of Death and the Future.
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Performance of Death and The Future at the National Theatre, Nairobi, August 2026. Photo by Rony and Raymond. © Communication and Creativity.
