Members of the Rastafari Society of Kenya appeared before Justice Bahati Mwamuye on Wednesday in a case seeking the legalisation of bhang.
The society is challenging sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Control Act that criminalise the cultivation, possession and use of cannabis.
Justice Bahati Mwamuye on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, ruled
that Nacada be enjoined as an interested party.
"The application is allowed in terms of the enjoinment of Nacada as an interested party in this matter with immediate effect," he directed.
This is after the government and parties agreed that the agency plays a central role in matters touching on drug policy and regulation.
The society argues that cannabis is central to its religious practice and that criminalisation violates constitutional rights to freedom of religion, privacy, dignity and equality.
The petition has been pending for several years, with the
society seeking recognition of the Rastafari faith and limited
decriminalisation of cannabis for religious use.
