Towards the end of April, that is 18th to 20th April 2025, the stage at WoodCreek School was buzzing with life as Apartment Dabo 54 hit the spotlight. An electrifying play brought to us by the ever-talented final year students of KCA University.

The whole story revolves around the drama in an apartment complex called, you guessed it, Apartment Dabo 54. At the heart of it all is Bar 1963. A once-popular hangout that’s been kicked off the rooftop and shoved into a dark, gloomy basement. That rooftop bar wasn’t just a place to grab a drink. It was a symbol. It carried history, especially for Meja Triple G (played with serious presence by Ndiangui Muya), a retired soldier who served around the time Kenya got its independence.

Now, the bar’s been booted downstairs thanks to the landlord's shady moves, and folks aren’t taking it lightly. We follow people like Shiku (Tamar Muthama), a fiercely loyal staff member, and Meja Junior (Timothy Wachira) a poet and Meja Triple G’s son, trying to make sense of the chaos. But things really heat up when Meja Junior falls for Achi Babi (Prudence Makena)... who happens to be the daughter of the very landlord (played by Dominic Mtemi) responsible for wrecking their peaceful rooftop life. Talk about complicated. Add in a caretaker (Jacky Mungai) who turns a blind eye, and other tenants like Hezbon (Calvince Jacob), who’s about to get kicked out thanks to crazy rent hikes and elevator bribes, and you’ve got a full-blown mess. The landlord, chasing some fancy overseas deal with a tech company, has no problem pushing out residents or demanding shady bribes for basic services. But in the middle of it all, the younger residents start to wake up. Inside the basement version of Bar 1963, they realize they’ve had enough. Achi Baby, Carol (Kira Cheprotich), Hezbon, and Juliet Nduati’s character (the Tenant) spark a movement. Armed with the power of social media, they begin to push back, refusing to be silenced, even when the landlord sends a rowdy brute to shut them up. Starting the play in the basement sets the mood perfectly. The audience immediately feels what’s at stake. It’s not just about rising rent. It’s about losing a shared sense of community, history, and respect. 

Written by the brilliant Ndiangui Muya, directed by him too with Amanda Birgen as the co-director and produced by the Chombo cha Sanaa collective with Leah Wanjira as Lead Producer, this play dives headfirst into the messy collision of love, greed, and power. It’s raw, real, and incredibly relatable. The big question it leaves you with: can a once-thriving community rise again, even after being shoved to the bottom? Apartment Dabo 54 isn’t just theatre. It’s a bold, moving shout from the rooftop (or in this case, the basement) about standing your ground and reclaiming your space.