Kenyan Rastafarian Man Sues Nairobi School for Forcing Daughter to Shave Dreadlocks

A Rastafarian Kenyan man has moved to court after his daughter was kicked out of a Nairobi school for wearing dreadlocks.

Julius Wambua Mwendwa alias prophet has sued Olympic High School in Kibra and the Ministry of Education over the move, which he terms as discriminatory.

Mwendwa argues that his family, including her daughter, subscribe to the Rastafari faith and that's why she has dreadlocks.

He wants the court to compel the school to readmit his daughter to Form One without shaving her dreadlocks. He presents that the girl wears dreadlocks as part of her faith and not for fashion as the school claims.

The girl was sent home to remove the dreadlocks on January 10th by the school's deputy principal despite having cleared school fees.

In court papers, Mwenda claims the school subjected his daughter to discrimination on the basis of her religious belief.

Article 30 (1) of the Constitution states that "every person has the right, either individually or in community with others, in public or in private, to manifest any religion or belief through worship, practice, teaching or observance, including observance of a day of worship."