A man charged with cultivating bhang

Kapenguria

Tuesday, August 22, 2023

by Anthony Mell

A man who was arrested in Sla village in the Kipkomo sub-county of West Pokot County for planting bhang worth Sh100, 000 has pleaded guilty to charges of possessing and planting the narcotic drug.

The suspect, Martin Yego, appeared before Kapenguria Senior Resident Magistrate Stellah Telewa and pleaded guilty to the charges of possessing bhang and planting bhang in violation of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Control Amendment Act of 2022.

Yego was on Tuesday charged with planting the illegal substance on his farm in Sla village, Kipkomo sub-county, west Pokot County.

The charge sheet read: "On the 21st day of August 2023 at Sla village in Senetwo location in Kipkomo Sub County within West Pokot County, Yego was found cultivating cannabis sativa bhang with 270 stems with a street value of Sh100, 000 in contravention of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Control Amendment Act of 2022."

According to the court prosecutor, the suspect was nabbed at around 1000 hours by a multi-agency police team led by the Sub-County Police Commander, along with a team of police officers from the Chepareria police station, who were acting on intelligence from the accused’s farm that he was growing bhang.

During the hearing, Yego agreed to the charges but during mitigation, he apologized to the court for not knowing who planted the bhang.

In addition, he informed the court that he has a parent who depended on him and that his cows eat the plant.

The court ordered Yego to be remanded until August 31, 2023, upon which he will be produced in court for a mention of the case for sentencing.

Courtesy ; K. N. A