A Nairobi courtroom briefly descended into laughter on Thursday after an American national facing immigration charges complained about the food served in police custody and asked the court for something better than ugali and cabbage.
The unusual exchange unfolded at the Milimani Law Courts, where Hodgkinson Enock Jedidah appeared before Senior Principal Magistrate Mutai on allegations of being in Kenya illegally.
Instead of focusing solely on the charges against him, Jedidah turned his attention to the meals he said had left him frustrated during his detention.
“I should be given good food… ugali and cabbage… is that what you are saying should happen?” he asked the magistrate. “No, I don’t think so.”
The remarks drew smiles and subdued laughter inside the packed courtroom, momentarily breaking the usual seriousness of immigration proceedings.
Jedidah told the court he was unhappy with both the quality and quantity of food offered to remandees. He appealed to the magistrate to intervene and direct prison authorities to provide him with more substantial meals while he remained in custody.
The court, however, declined to issue any special orders regarding his request.
Magistrate Mutai advised him to accept the meals provided by authorities as the case proceeds.
Behind the light-hearted courtroom moment, however, remains a serious legal battle over Jedidah’s immigration status.
The American national denied charges that he was unlawfully present in Kenya. In his defence, he claimed immigration officials had taken away his travel documents, leaving him unable to regularise his stay.
Prosecutors rejected that explanation, arguing that he had overstayed in Kenya and remained in the country without valid legal documentation for an extended period.
The court ordered that Jedidah be remanded at Industrial Area Prison pending further hearings.
The case has since drawn attention online, where many Kenyans reacted with amusement to his complaints about the staple prison meal of ugali and cabbage, a basic combination familiar to many across the country.
Still, legal experts note that immigration-related offences remain a serious matter under Kenyan law, regardless of the courtroom theatrics that occasionally accompany them.
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