Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has rejected an application by a foreign company to put up a marijuana factory in the country.
Speaking on Friday, Matiang’i said he had received an application from a company seeking to grow and process cannabis in Kenya for pharmaceutical use.
CS Matiang’i stated that the government would not accept such investments that could pose danger to Kenyan youth.
“We have an application on my desk right now by some lunatic who’s saying they need a license to build a factory in Kenya that processes cannabis for pharmaceutical use,” noted Matiang’i.
“I agreed with my PS [Karanja Kibicho] on Thursday that we won’t even respond to that letter. We want him to make an advance and we will seek him out. We must protect our children,” Matiang’i asserted.
The company is believed to be GoIP Global Inc., a US-based company that had in March announced it had obtained a permit from the Kenya government to grow marijuana on a 500-acre farm.
The company revealed the news to its shareholders in a statement dated March 7th.
“After visiting Kenya and meeting with officials in the country, I am very excited about the prospects this agreement (license) brings to our company. This is the first of several critical transactions that will transform GoIP into a relevant member of the burgeoning cannabis industry,” the company’s chairman Ike Sutton said.
“The lease term will be for 25 years and Kenya being on the Equator provides the best conditions for all-year-round production.”
However, Kenyan authorities denied issuing such a license, stating that marijuana remains a banned substance in the country’s laws.
“I am not aware of the licensing of the said firm to grow marijuana. As you are aware, cannabis is not in the list of crops that we currently regulate,” said Agricultural Research Principal Secretary Hamadi Boga.
Boga explained that the law must be amended to allow cultivation of cannabis in the country.
The US company said the crop grown in Kenya would be for export to European Union countries and Canada, where demand for cannabis for medicinal and leisure purposes have been on the rise.
jokes a side..reconsider……
jokes a side..reconsider….good returns give them condition
With proper regulations,…
With proper regulations, medicinal marijuana is not as dangerous as alcohol. Commercial production will also bring well paying jobs to Kenya. I recommend that Dr. Matiangi consult with the medical community and the legislature in Kenya on this matter before rejecting it outright.
Medicinal marijuana is not…
Medicinal marijuana is not as dangerous as alcohol. With proper regulations, commercial cultivation will bring good paying jobs and substantial revenue to Kenya. I urge Dr. Matiangi to consult with the medical community, the legislature and other stakeholders before making a final decision on the issue.
I disagree. I believe that…
I disagree. I believe that passing Marijuana Legislation is one of the dumbest laws that some US states passed. In Mass, it is advertised daily on the train: for recreation et al. Please note that the ‘Marijuana gains’ campaign is mostly spearheaded by pseudoscientists. Perhaps it can help some cancer patients with appetite or even relax and numb the pain, but to the general population, the risks outweigh the gains. Why do people need psycho stimulants to relax? Lastly, it still remains an illegal drug in Federal Law i.e its medicinal value is not clearly identified. People use marijuana in Kenya, let them continue to without govt popularization.
Matiang’i why don’t you…
Matiang’i why don’t you spend time explaining to Kenyans more about the Chinese coal factory being built in Lamu. The government claims its about jobs for the locals but we know who is currently working at SGR.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/27/climate/coal-kenya-china-power.html
Come on.Lets not be quick to…
Come on.Lets not be quick to over react. First of all Do you know that kid have a very easy access to Marijuana? The way to protect our children, is to also to have “protected” adults. By that I means adults who can inculcate good morals and behavior in our children.Note that not too many adults are setting good examples as noted below;
They steat
Impregnate school girls
They fight shamelessly in public
Drink and drive recklessly
Cheat on their spouses
Abscond their resposibilities
Corrupt and bribe others
Rape,kill…and the list goes on… This is hardly the way to teach our kids how to behave.Mr Matiang’i,this terrible adults we have especially in the leadership positions,do we have to assume that they are terrible because adults did not protect them as children?
Now this marijuana plant is for pharmaceutical purposes.What is wrong with that? Think of jobs that will be created,and the medicinal value from the plant.I dont believe that this plant will have ashop for recreational marijuana,where anybody could step by the window and place and order.
Matiangi why do you want us…
Matiangi why do you want us to register to eCitizen to a website that does not work. It accept only Kenya phone number and you cannot use somebody else Kenya phone number. “The mobile number has already been registered”. How to you expect diasporas to register?
I have a feeling Daktari is…
I have a feeling Daktari is pulling out legs. The Odinga’s are already on this one…might be they are the ones who had contacts with this company. Daktari is playing reverse psychology on us… now we want it…and the big fish will have the authority they want …but will take the lion’s share….be the co-owners with these foreign companies….and do I say, history will repeat itself.
Dr Matiangi, put proper legislation and let Kenyans do this business. PLEASE give CANCER patients in Kenya some DIGNITY. CBD made in Kenya will be ACCESSIBLE and CHEAPER.
I have a feeling Daktari is…
I have a feeling Daktari is pulling out legs. The Odinga’s are already on this one…might be they are the ones who had contacts with this company. Daktari is playing reverse psychology on us… now we want it…and the big fish will have the authority they want …but will take the lion’s share….be the co-owners with these foreign companies….and do I say, history will repeat itself.
Dr Matiangi, put proper legislation and let Kenyans do this business. PLEASE give CANCER patients in Kenya some DIGNITY. CBD made in Kenya will be ACCESSIBLE and CHEAPER.
Iam a Kenyan living and…
Iam a Kenyan living and working in USA. I work as a medication technician. I thought Dr Matiang is a Phd holder who has capacity to research on critical issues. Can someone tell him that the medicinal canabis is not extracted from the compounds that make people ‘high’ rather than compounds that have pain killing properties ( putting it in laymans language for him to understand). I live in the state of Washington where recreational marijuana is legal yet very few people smoke it…
When marijuana is like chai…
When marijuana is like chai kwako, why the hypocrisy?
Can you imagine what it would mean in revenew to the government and the jobs to ensure total security since its a controlled substance.
Kenyans need pragmatic leaders and not loud mouths thinking wameshinda sasa…in ujinga yes of course.