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The court has ruled that brewing and consuming muratina during traditional ceremonies is not illegal. In a ruling, Kikuyu Principal Magistrate D N Musyoka said that muratina is part of the Kikuyu traditional customs and cannot therefore be termed as illicit.
He judge noted that the Constitution has a role to protect the cultures of all communities in Kenya and no law created can violate upon those cultural practices.
“They have to celebrate their traditional rites of passage through various ways and muratina (Agikuyu traditional brew) must form part of the celebrations,” Mr Musyoka said in his judgment.
Several chang’aa dens in Kiambu have in the past been raided and hundreds of drums of illicit liquor poured in the fight against alcoholism in the county. There was a big debate in whether traditional brews should be treated as illicit brew.
However, the court made no mention on the commercial sale of muratina. The judge based his judgement only for the purposes of traditional fetes such as payment of dowry, marriage and initiation into adulthood.
The case featured John Ndungu Mbiyu, a muratina brewer, against the State. The magistrate found Ndungu not guilty as he was only tasked by the Kikuyu council of elders (Kiama) to make the beverage to be used during a traditional ceremony.
The judge ordered the brew brought before the court as evidence, be returned to the chairman of the council and gave a go ahead for the ceremony that was set for March 24th.
Comments
@Karin'a, leave the saved people alone. How many of your friends who drink Kumathimiara have lost their eye sight? How many of your male friends who drink Kumathimira cannot produce a baby? Do you know how many people have lost their lives because of Kumathimira? and the list goes on and on
@Kenya uliza kama hujui,bwana,si ujinga.Only the dead are saved.They never sin.The killer brew is METHANOL which some is imported by Joho and the other produced by Raila's factory for industrial use but they deliberately sell it for repackaging to be sold to Mt.Kenya residents with an intention of reducing the voting power.
Vodka is not illicit in Russia. Neither is beer in Germany or wine in France. It's about time Africans free themselves from mental slavery.
Where are other Gathonis and Mumbis(although not the Creator) to tell their Gikuyu siblings the truth?Today's WaGikuyu should stop pretending as if they brought God to Gikuyuland.
@ mumbi.Those drinks are licit in the countries you mentioned because they do not cause problems that trouble societies.Obviously it makes sense for civil societies to control substances that course people to break laws...
Heh Murats as its called in my cucu's is not and never was an illicit drink. Leave kikuyu wine alone!
Excellent ruling by this judge. Let us not fall into the Western trap of putting our culture and traditions down and replacing them with foreign ones. Actually what we need to do is start an industry of bottling Muratina so it can compete with foreign beers not to prohibit it. We must preserve ourselves in this world by believing, reviving and preserving what is ours. We should even start advertising Muratina and everything else that stands for Africa to the African. Again Thank you judge. One other step that should be introduced is the jury system, so we do not have a future judge that will be bribed to rule otherwise.
Muratina pombe is the An Agikuyu signature
Wapi Waititu and those who pretend to be saved?