This archive report was first published on 13 September 2019.
On September 13, 2019, the High Court in Kenya made a landmark ruling in favor of a Rastafarian student who was expelled from Olympic High School in Nairobi for wearing dreadlocks.
The court, led by Justice Enoch Chacha Mwita, declared that Rastafarianism is a recognized religion and that the student's rights to education and religion were violated when she was sent home.
The student's father had taken her to school despite knowing that the institution might be opposed to Rastafarianism, as every parent has a duty to ensure their child's spiritual, mental, and social development.
However, the school administration's decision to expel the student was deemed discriminatory, as it denied her the right to practice her religion and education.
Justice Mwita ruled that the school's rules should not supersede the Constitution and that forcing the student to cut her dreadlocks was an infringement on her rights.
He also issued an order barring Olympic High School from interfering with the student over her dreadlocks, stating that school rules should not be used to punish students.
