‘Free up the ganja’: Rastafarians in Kenya fight to legalise marijuana

In Nairobi’s Kibera neighbourhood, members of the House of Nyabinghi gather weekly for a “groundation”, singing about Ethiopia, Jah, Zion, Rastafari and Haile Selassie I. Red, yellow and green flags, alongside images of Haile Selassie I, Bob Marley and Marcus Garvey, decorate the room as some worshippers use marijuana, a sacrament they believe supports meditation and connection with the divine. Rastafari is an Afrocentric religion and social movement that regards former Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie I as the messiah and God incarnate. It emerged in the 1930s among marginalised Afro-Jamaican communities after Protestant leaders linked his coronation to biblical prophecy. The movement takes its name from his pre-coronation title, Ras Tafari Makonnen, and spread internationally through reggae artists including Bob Marley and the Wailers, Burning Spear and Culture. Followers describe Babylon as oppression associated with western capitalism and imperialism. Livity, a practice of righteous and natural living, includes an ital plant-based diet and dreadlocks. Followers adopt Ras, meaning “head” or “chief” in Amharic. Kenya’s Rastafari population is unknown, but a 2019 court ruling recognised Rastafari as a legally protected religion after a pupil alleged discrimination when expelled because of her dreadlocks. The current dispute concerns marijuana, derived from Cannabis sativa. In 2021, the Rastafari Society of Kenya petitioned for exemption from arrest and prosecution for cultivating, possessing and using it as a sacrament, or asked the government to create a legal framework. The society argued that the law violated freedom of religion and equality. On 15 July, the court dismissed the petition, finding that the society had not proved an unconstitutional rights violation. Followers said they would appeal. Ras Ndeto, the society’s spokesperson and a prophet, said the ruling marginalised the community. Herbalist Ras Orudi said Rastafarians sought integration while defending their rights. Reform is uneven internationally. In 2023, Antigua and Barbuda approved Rastafarian cultivation and marijuana use. Kenya’s ruling leaves religious freedom and cannabis regulation unresolved, making a future appeal or legislative action the key potential catalysts for change.