Kenya's Rastafari Movement Continues Fight to End Cannabis Prohibition
ABOLISH CANNABIS PROHIBITION
NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenya's Rastafari movement has pledged to continue its campaign for legal recognition of cannabis as a religious sacrament after the High Court on July 15 dismissed a constitutional petition brought by the Rastafari Society of Kenya.
The verdict will be appealed "by Friday at the latest," says Danstan Omari, who is part of the Rastafari community's legal team, one of the community's legal team.
Justice Bahati Mwamuye ruled that Kenya's prohibition on cultivating, possessing, and using cannabis does not violate constitutional guarantees of religious freedom. Society lawyer Shadrack Wambui confirmed that the decision will be appealed, while Rastafari supporters gathered at Nairobi's Freedom Corner to denounce the judgment.
The petition is the latest step in a long-running campaign to secure legal protection for Rastafari sacramental cannabis use. The Society argued that criminalizing cannabis violates constitutional guarantees of religious freedom. Although the Court rejected the claim, Justice Bahati Mwamuye acknowledged the need for broader public debate on cannabis policy. The Society has pledged to appeal.
The petition is the latest step in a long-running campaign to secure legal protection for Rastafari sacramental cannabis use. The Society argued that criminalizing cannabis violates constitutional guarantees of religious freedom. Although the Court rejected the claim, Justice Bahati Mwamuye acknowledged the need for broader public debate on cannabis policy. The Society has pledged to appeal.
The ruling marks a setback, not an end, to Africa's growing movement beyond prohibition. Across the continent, governments are rethinking cannabis laws through the lenses of religious freedom, traditional medicine, and economic development. Colonial policing has no place in postcolonial Africa. The Kenyan appeal joins a broader continental effort to replace prohibition with African-led systems of regulation grounded in liberty, justice, and self-determination.
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