The singers and musicians were members of the House of Nyabinghi, one of the main denominations, or \u201cmansions\u201d of Rastafari, a religion and social movement that recently came under the spotlight in Kenya<\/a> after a court ruling on 15 July dismissed a petition to decriminalise the use of marijuana for spiritual purposes.<\/p>\n Three days later, the House of Nyabinghi \u2013 named after and inspired by a legendary east African woman whose name means \u201cmother of abundance\u201d or \u201cshe who possesses many things\u201d \u2013 met for their weekly communal gatherings, which Rastafarians call a \u201cgroundation\u201d.<\/p>\n Rastafarians gather in Kibera, Nairobi. Photograph: Carlos Mureithi\/The Guardian<\/p>\n A red, yellow, and green flag and images of Rastafari\u2019s influences such as Haile Selassie I<\/a>, Bob Marley and the Jamaican political activist Marcus Garvey embellished the walls. Sizzles and crackles were often heard as some of those gathered lit marijuana, its scent filling the air.<\/p>\n Among those attending was Ras Orudi, who came to Rastafari after being inspired by Jamaican reggae artists such as Peter Tosh while at secondary school in the mid 2000s. \u201cRastafarians are not rejecting the system,\u201d said the 38-year-old, who serves as a herbalist. \u201cThey are trying to integrate into the system while defending their rights.\u201d<\/p>\n Ras Orudi, 38, began following Rastafari while at secondary school. Photograph: Carlos Mureithi\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Also in the room was Ras Ndeto, who was inspired by an encounter in the early 1990s in Nairobi with a Rastafarian from Guyana who taught him \u201clivity\u201d, the Rastafari spiritual practice of righteous and natural living centred on a plant-based \u201cital\u201d diet and the growing of dreadlocks.<\/p>\n The 56-year-old said the court\u2019s decision marginalised followers of the religion and added that they would appeal to a higher court. \u201cWe still feel that we are a minority group in this country, because even our culture is still looked down upon,\u201d said Ndeto, who holds the title of prophet and is the spokesperson for the Rastafari Society of Kenya. \u201cWe are living like terrorists in our own country.\u201d<\/p>\n Ras Ndeto, 56, said the court\u2019s decision marginalised followers of Rastafari. Photograph: Edwin Ndeke\/The Guardian<\/p>\n An Afrocentric religion, Rastafari is centred on the beliefs that the former Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie I is the messiah and God incarnate, and that Black people are oppressed by Babylon \u2013 a metaphor for western capitalism and imperialism.<\/p>\n The movement emerged in the 1930s within marginalised Afro-Jamaican communities after Protestant leaders declared that the crowning of Haile Selassie I as emperor was the fulfilment of a biblical prophecy. The movement is named after his pre-coronation name, Ras Tafari Makonnen.<\/p>\n The religion was embraced around the world partly due to the influence of Rastafari-inspired reggae music from artistes such as Bob Marley and the Wailers, Burning Spear and Culture.<\/p>\n Artwork and a banner on a wall at the meeting venue for the House of Nyabhingi in Kibera, Nairobi. Photograph: Carlos Mureithi\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Ras Dimo, who holds the title of priest and often leads prayers in Kibera, became enlightened about Rastafari just before finishing secondary school, partly through reading books examining the connection between Black people and the Bible. \u201cI was inspired to know that Black people are not cursed as imperialists tried to make us think,\u201d the 43-year-old said. \u201cWe are living in a time when many people are blinded.\u201d<\/p>\n Like many other Rastafarians in Kenya, Dimo was born into a Christian family and later became Rastafari. They adopt the title Ras, which means \u201chead\u201d or \u201cchief\u201d in Amharic, the most widely spoken language in Ethiopia.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n![\"Rastafarians](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Rastafarians_chant_during_a__groundation__-_loop--cb87879f-a97f-473a-bdfc-7a0ca0a220f3-1.0.0000000.j.jpeg\")
Rastafarians chant during a \u2018groundation\u2019 – loop<\/p>\n