In a quiet courtyard in Nairobi, the sound of Nyabinghi drums rises into the morning air. Beneath portraits of Ethiopia’s former emperor, Haile Selassie I, members of Kenya’s Rastafarian community clasp hands in prayer. Their hope now rests with the High Court.
On July 15, judges are expected to decide whether Rastafarians can legally use cannabis during religious worship. The case has become one of the country’s most closely watched tests of religious freedom.
For followers of the faith, the ruling is about more than marijuana. They say it is about dignity. It is about recognition. And it is about the right to practise their beliefs without fear.
Rastafarians regard cannabis as a sacred herb. They say it helps meditation and strengthens their spiritual connection. Yet Kenyan law still treats possession of cannabis as a criminal offence, carrying penalties that can include lengthy prison terms and heavy fines.
Despite growing public debate over cannabis laws across parts of Africa, Kenya has not changed its legal position.
For many Rastafarians, that has meant years of confrontation with police.
“Every time I walk on the street, someone will come and want to intimidate me and say, ‘Hey Rastaman, stop’,” said Moses Mudachi Isavwa, better known as Ras Masinde.
The 50-year-old wears his dreadlocks with pride. He says they honour Kenya’s anti-colonial struggle and the Mau Mau fighters who resisted British rule.
Instead, he says, they often attract suspicion.
“I’m fighting for the black men and women and children who have gone through persecution,” he said. “They are rotting now in prison simply because they were found with maybe a spliff of ganja.”
The legal challenge, first filed in 2021, seeks an exemption that would allow cannabis to be used strictly for religious purposes.
Supporters argue that Kenya’s Constitution protects freedom of conscience and religion. They believe that protection should extend to practices central to their faith.
The movement has already secured one important legal victory.
In 2019, a Kenyan court ruled that a school acted unlawfully by excluding a Rastafarian student because of her dreadlocks, saying the decision violated her religious rights.
Community leaders say, however, that discrimination has not disappeared.
“They come to your house and search you,” said Mwendwa Wambua, spokesperson for the Rastafari Society of Kenya, who is widely known as Ras Prophet.
“They don’t want you to even have two joints for smoking.”
Wambua says interest in Rastafarianism is growing, particularly among younger Kenyans searching for spiritual identity and African heritage.
Every Saturday, members gather at a modest centre in Kibera for worship, prayer and drumming.
The site is also home to the Haile Selassie Foundation, which teaches practical skills such as beadwork and weaving while introducing young people to the faith. Organisers say the aim is to steer young people away from crime and give them a stronger sense of purpose.
For worshippers gathered there this week, the approaching court ruling carries deep personal meaning.
They hope it will mark another step towards official recognition.
“Smoking weed and marijuana is part of our culture,” Wambua said.
“We must therefore defend it.”
Whatever the court decides, the judgment is likely to shape the debate over religious liberty and cannabis laws in Kenya for years to come.
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