The Iron Snake – the ancients saw it coming.
Kimnyole Arap Turukat, a Nandi Orkoiyot prophesied a “vicious iron snake” that would slither across the plains, bringing hardship and fundamentally changing the lives of his people.
Other prophets like Mugo wa Kibiru (Kikuyu) and seers from the Kamba and Embu communities also made similar predictions. They both saw a black snake coming and all the cattle disappearing, plundered from the Africans by the ‘red people’ .
This infamous iron snake was, of course, the railway, brought by the British and as Kimnyole and the other seers predicted, changied the landscape and the lives of East Africans.
This prophecy and ensuing conflict is the basis of the musical “Iron Snake” brought to Nairobi by Youth Theatre Kenya (YTK) the first weekend in August.
The Iron Snake slithered through history, reshaping landscapes and destinies, defying logic, and fueling legends. A project once deemed lunacy became an undeniable force—its tracks carving through time, its echoes still felt today. But what of those who built it? What of the lives entangled in its journey?
“The Iron Snake” was originally staged by Youth Theatre Kenya in 2017 at Braeburn Gitanga. Director/Producer Jazz Moll says he is “thrilled to bring it back now in 2025, refreshed for a whole new generation”.
The company is now reimagining and redeveloping it from that solid foundation—same roots, deeper branches. This new version is richer, layered, and more powerful than ever, shaped by ongoing conversations about identity, community, colonisation and legacy, working with the central dramatic question which guides the entire journey of the show:
“If our present is born from pain, what do we choose to carry forward?”
The original score of the musical was composed by Caspar Jago Simonsen and Benji Jago Simonsen in 2017, with several additions created collaboratively by the cast during the week of the production—a process central to the YTK approach.
In the 2025 production, YTK continues that tradition with the young cast creating original material. They’re also bringing on some very exciting guest composers. One of them is Riki Gathariki of Wanavokali, and a long-time YTK collaborator. Others will be revealed soon.
Jazz Moll (Director & Producer) is the co-founder and executive director of Youth Theatre Kenya and has directed over a dozen large-scale youth productions across Kenya. Jazz is joined by fellow co-founder and artistic director Lizzie Jago. Their creative leadership focuses on empowering young people through transformative storytelling—combining ritual, theatre, and musicality.
The Story that YTK is Telling
The Iron Snake tells the parallel stories of Lenana and Sendeyo, two brothers whose relationship is torn apart by betrayal and disagreement on how to face the arrival of the Iron Snake—the physical railway, yet a metaphor for colonial change and disruption.
But at the heart of the story is a generation that follows them: the young Maasai, Sai and Baiserian, along with their friends – Indian worker Roshan and British siblings Nancy and Ralph, the children of a colonial engineer. Together, these children inherit a divided world and must go on a mythic, magical journey to decide what kind of future they want to create. As friendships are formed and betrayals unfold, this group of young people from different communities are forced to ask: what do we carry forward, and what must we leave behind?
If the Iron Snake connected Kenya, what was lost when the tracks were laid?
This is a story of healing, intergenerational wounds, and the power of youth-led vision – so appropriate to the mood of Kenya today.
“The Iron Snake” is at Braeburn Theatre (Gitanga Rd.) the first weekend of August:
Fri, Aug 1 — 7:30 PM
Sat, Aug 2 — 6:00 PM
Sun, Aug 3 — 5:00 PM
Tickets for The Iron Snake are on sale now via the Braeburn Theatre website.
The Creative Team of The Iron Snake include:
Lizzie Jago – Artistic Director
Shelly Gitonga – Lead Script Developer
Riki Gathariki – Musical Director
Zawadi Mukami – Assistant Musical Director
Brian Nyachae – Assistant Director
Neville Ignatius – Lead Choreographer
Mitch Bushry- Costumes