A six-year-old boy with dreadlocks loses case

A six-year-old boy will be required to shave his dreadlocks if he is to resume his education at Rusinga School, a court has ruled.

The court said the school could not be compelled to take in a pupil who has dreadlocks for cosmetic purposes, which is against the school regulations. High Court Judge Mumbi Ngugi noted the boy’s mother had not convinced the court why he should maintain his hairdo.

The mother went to court seeking orders to compel the school to re-admit her son with his dreadlocks after he was kicked out for failing to meet the grooming requirements. She accused the private school of violating her son’s constitutional rights by discriminating against him. She told the court she wanted her son to maintain the locks as a cultural issue as the boy’s father is Jamaican.

However, Ms Ngugi found that her arguments lacked merit as she had failed to support her case. The right to education, she said, had not been violated as the Constitution does not bind private institutions with the responsibility. The judge noted there were cultures that had dreadlocks and that is accepted. However, she noted the petitioner had not convinced the court that rearing dreadlocks on her son was a matter of culture.

“The petitioner had an obligation to demonstrate how wearing dreadlocks is of Jamaican culture. She has made a choice for the son to keep the dreadlocks for fashion and cosmetic reasons and not for religious reasons.”

Ngugi further found that the parent consented to the schools rules and regulations and even appended her signature to them before her son joined the preparatory school.