Prof George Wajackoyah of Roots Party pledges to legalise bhang

Presidential hopeful Professor George Wajackoyah has pledged to legalise bhang if elected during the August 9 General Election.

While announcing his bid, Prof Wajackoyah, who will run for President on a Roots Party of Kenya ticket, said his first task as president would be to legalise Marijuana, even before he makes any changes in government.

This is among his 12-point agenda, that he unveiled today February 12, to ameliorate the livelihood of Kenyans.

While denying having used hemp before and saying he “wouldn’t mind talking it”, Wajackoyah said his government will ameliorate the living standards of Kenyans “immensely” by legalising hemp.

Upon legalising use of cannabis, the proceeds, he said, would be used to clear Kenya’s debts.

If elected, he said, his first 100 days will be “purely for public participation” on how to go about legalising hemp in a country that has, since colonial days, known it as an illegal plant.

"It (weed) is something that God created among his plants,” he said, adding that the advantages of marijuana outweigh the disadvantages.

He further asked his followers not to embrace what he termed as “myopic mind set” arguing that there are products in use in the country that are hazardous to health.

The cannabis plant is used for making a variety of products, including rope, textile, food, paper, and bio plastics.

Prof Wajackoyah also proposed to introduce eight prime ministers in Kenya, in charge of the defunct provinces, who will replace of the current county commissioners.

For the special group of citizens – children, the elderly and pregnant mothers – he promised free healthcare. For the policemen and media practitioners, he promised better working conditions. These, he argued, will steer the country, in his leadership, to higher economic manpower.

The barrister further said he would introduce a four-days official workdays in Kenya, that would be between Monday and Thursday. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, he explained, would be worship days.

“Friday, being a Muslim prayer day, will not be counted as a workday, and so is Saturday and Sunday for Christians that will also form part of non-working days,” Prof Wajackoyah explained.

His administration, he said, would introduce a death penalty to tame the appetite for corruption in the country.

He will assign the trade ministry to a person of Asian ancestry. And, as a president, he said, he would double as the immigration minister in his own government.

With his manifesto attracting ridicule and humour more than seriousness, Wajackoyah is not a man new to controversies. As a barrister, he represented musician Koffi Olomide in 2016, in case where the artiste was accused of assaulting a woman in Nairobi.

In 2017, he announced that, together with then presidential aspirant Mohammed Abduba Dida, they would offer the best leadership option for Kenya, one that would send home President Kenyatta.

From living in the streets of Nairobi to a law scholar with more than six law degrees from international universities, Prof Wajackoyah says his experiences sum up the quality of president Kenyans need.

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