This archive report was first published on 13 September 2019.
On September 13, 2019, the High Court in Kenya ruled in favor of a Rastafarian student who was sent home from Olympic High School in January 2019.
The court found that the school had violated the student's rights to education and freedom of religion by enforcing a rule that prohibited her from wearing her hair in dreadlocks.
According to the court, the right to education and freedom of religion supersedes a school's regulations, and the school's actions were a violation of the student's rights.
Justice Chacha Mwita noted that the school's rules should not appear to be superior to the constitution, and that the student's right to practice her religion should not be denied.
The court also noted that refusing to take a child to school is a criminal offense under Kenyan law, attracting a fine of Ksh. 100,000 or a one-year jail term.
