Man Freed After Telling Court He Picked Wrong Bag With Bhang on His First Day in Nairobi

A 21-year-old man who told a Nairobi court he was arrested after mistakenly picking the wrong bag on his first ever day in the city has been set free on humanitarian grounds.

Churchil Ouma Ouma was arrested on November 19 at the Easy Coach stage after police found 200 grams of bhang worth Sh2,000 inside a bag he was carrying. He was later charged with possession of cannabis under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

When he first appeared in court on November 20, Ouma denied the charge and was released on a bond of Sh100,000 or an alternative cash bail of Sh30,000. But when he returned to Milimani Law Courts on Friday, November 28, he changed his plea and explained what happened.

Court.

He told Principal Magistrate Rose Ndombi that he had just travelled to Nairobi for the first time in his life and, in the confusion of navigating the busy bus station, he mistakenly picked up someone else’s bag.

“Yes, I was found with bhang, I won’t deny that,” he said. “But it wasn’t in my hands. It was inside a bag I travelled with that day. It was my first time in Nairobi, and as I was trying to find the owner of the bag, I was arrested.”

Ouma pleaded with the court to forgive him, saying he was finalising documents to travel to Qatar for work and feared the case would ruin his opportunity.

Magistrate Ndombi said she took into account his honesty, the low value of the substance he was found with, and his plans to travel for employment. She released him on humanitarian grounds but warned him not to repeat the offence.

“The court has considered your plea and your circumstances,” she ruled. “You are forgiven, but take this as a lesson.”

Ouma’s case unfolded just days after the High Court postponed a petition by the Rastafari Society of Kenya, which is pushing for the decriminalisation of marijuana for spiritual use. The matter will be heard in January before judgment is delivered in March 2026.

For Ouma, the ruling means he can continue preparing for his trip abroad — and perhaps approach Nairobi’s chaotic bus stages with a lot more caution next time.