Rastafarians in Kenya are intensifying efforts to legalize marijuana use for religious and spiritual practices following a court decision earlier this month that rejected their decriminalization petition. Members of the House of Nyabinghi, one of the main denominations within Rastafari, gathered for their weekly communal meeting in Nairobi’s Kibera neighborhood to discuss the ruling and plan next steps, with leaders indicating they intend to pursue an appeal to a higher court.
Rastafari is an Afrocentric religion and social movement that emerged in the 1930s within Jamaican communities. Adherents believe that the former Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie I is the messiah and God incarnate, and that Black people have been oppressed by what followers describe as Babylon, a term referencing Western capitalism and imperialism. The faith spread globally through reggae music and now has followers across multiple continents. In 2019, a Kenyan court recognized Rastafari as a legally protected religion in a landmark case involving educational discrimination.
Within the faith, practitioners view cannabis as a sacrament believed to facilitate spiritual meditation and deeper connection with the divine. In 2021, the Rastafari Society of Kenya filed a court petition seeking either an exemption from marijuana-related criminal penalties or establishment of a legal framework permitting the practice. The petition argued that existing drug laws violated religious freedom and equality rights. The court dismissed the case on 15 July, finding the society had not sufficiently demonstrated that the law unconstitutionally violated Rastafarians’ rights.
Community leaders emphasized that their cause extends beyond individual religious practice. Some framed the legal struggle as part of broader efforts to reclaim African heritage and resist what they characterize as legacies of colonialism. In 2023, the Caribbean nations of Antigua and Barbuda approved allowing Rastafarians to cultivate and consume cannabis, providing a precedent that Kenyan advocates may reference in future legal proceedings.
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