Nairobi Milimani court was changed to a comical room during the trial of a Rasta man, Edward Njeru Njue, who was arraigned and charged that on March 6, along Kirinyaga Road, Nairobi, he was found trafficking 20 rolls of bhang value at Sh1,000.
When asked the language he would wish to use in court, Njeru said that he was good in Swahili, English and Gikuyu only to break into Rasta slang during his trial. During the plea he went the rasta way and answered; ”Ni vile sikufika bei ya Babylonian cops wakanishikadem na kunivishadem bangili.”
It took the intervention of the prosecution to digest the words. “Are you pleading guilty or not” Principal Magistrate Hellen Onkwani asked. “I am guilty wagwan!” Njue answered. Further prodded by the court on whether he uses the drug, the suspect responded; “Yeah men, kama Rasta hii kitu niYes I.”
As the magistrate wrote down the proceedings, Edward, as the suspect preferred to be addressed turned to a female court orderly and exclaimed; “Ahoy, sisteren, wewe ni mrembo vi-wagwan!” “What are you saying to the police?” the magistrate inquired. “Namshow ni mrembo videadly hakuna ngori” Njue replied to a thunderous laughter from the court gallery.
The magistrate asked the prosecution to deliver its stand in the case after Njue pleaded guilty. The prosecution, however, had no facts of the offence and had also not carried the exhibit to court, they asked the court to allow them to present the two substances in case. The court pushed the matter as asked by the prosecution and sent Njue to remand