Man, 75, found guilty of growing bhang in farm

By NDERITU GICHURE

Nyeri, Kenya: A 75-year old man faces a jail term or Sh10,000 fine after he was found guilty of growing bhang in his farm.

Charles Mithamo was yesterday charged that on June 20 last year he was found growing four plants of bhang worth Sh400 in his farm at Kimahuri sub-location in Nyeri.

The prosecution availed three witnesses: an Administration Police and two sub chiefs who jointly arrested Mithamo and uprooted the crop.

His area sub chief, John Muraya, told the court that he was tipped by a resident on Mithamo’s activity.

Muraya told the court that the accused confirmed that he was the one who planted the crop for his own consumption, a statement that Mithamo refuted saying he had leased the farm to another person.

The person Mithamo claimed he had leased the land to at that particular time was serving a sentence because of the bhang related charges and was convicted in May, last year.

In his judgment, Nyeri Resident Magistrate John Aringo noted the case was a straight forward one and testimonies were unanimous that it was Mithamo who planted the bhang. “He even guided the sub chiefs and the AP to where he had planted the bhang and had confirmed he planted it for his consumption,” Aringo said.

In mitigation, Mithamo pleaded for leniency saying he is a single parent with several grandchildren who depend on him.