Man Fined After Admitting to Smoking Bhang to Chase Birds in Mwea Rice Farms
Brian Macharia appeared before the Wang’uru Law Courts, where he told Principal Magistrate Martha Opanga that cannabis enabled him to chase away quelea birds, which he said were wreaking havoc on his family’s rice farm
By : Mweru Mbugua
A man has been fined Ksh.10,000 or sentenced to six months in prison after admitting in court that he smoked bhang to help scare away birds destroying rice crops in Mwea, Kirinyaga County
Brian Macharia appeared before the Wang’uru Law Courts, where he told Principal Magistrate Martha Opanga that cannabis enabled him to chase away quelea birds, which he said were wreaking havoc on his family’s rice farm
He claimed the birds had forced many farmers in the area to hire costly bird scarers
The court heard that on January 9, 2026, Macharia was arrested at Kiriko village in Mwea East Sub-county while in possession of nine and a half rolls of cannabis valued at Ksh.960
Prosecutors said the drugs were not for medical use, contrary to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act of 1994
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Macharia pleaded guilty to the charge and, in mitigation, told the court that he believed smoking bhang was legal, adding that he only used it as a means to deal with the persistent bird menace in the rice fields
After considering the case, the court fined him Ksh.10,000 or, in default, six months’ imprisonment. He was also granted 14 days to appeal the decision if dissatisfied with the ruling
