A man in Nyandarua shocked police officers and residents as he narrated how best to grow bhang and “how lucrative the farming is”.
The farmer, 50, narrated how a friend trained him on how to grow the contraband, before supplying the seeds to “a guaranteed market”.
Section 3 (2) (a) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Control Act lists bhang (cannabis) as a banned substance.
He said that his friend hails from Kirinyaga County, where he was to deliver the product after harvest.
Ol Kalou Police Station Commander and Passenga Location Senior Chief Daniel Muniu on Wednesday led the officers in uprooting the plants estimated to be valued at Sh200,000.
FRESH AIR
The plants were grown as flowers in his son’s compound and inside a house in polythene bags.
Mr Muniu said that members of the public reported the incident after the man removed the roof of the son’s house to allow the plants to get fresh air and sunlight.
The farmer gave a detailed account of the best agronomy practices when growing the plants, including the ratios of manure and fertilizer to be applied at planting.
“You do not need any chemicals for disease and pests control since the crop is tolerant when grown in such ideal conditions. My friend, whom I met in Nairobi, informed me that he wanted the crop for making pesticides,” said the suspect.
‘SUCK BLOOD’
Asked if he is a consumer of the drug, the suspect retorted that whoever is interested in knowing “should suck his blood for confirmation”.
“You can prick my hand and suck the blood for confirmation. I don’t want to hear that question again, do the testing as I have directed you,” said the suspect.
He told the crowd that it was his first crop, which he planted between April and May, and was waiting for it to mature in about a month, the reason he decided to remove the roof.
‘GOOD VENTURE’
“I was given the seeds in a matchbox with a promise that he was to buy the crop at between Sh20,000 and Sh50,000 depending on how the crop performed. I found it a good venture compared to the size of land it occupied, with no additional costs of production like in potato and maize growing,” said the farmer.
Mr Muniu said the suspect has been living in Nairobi and came back home in April to venture in the farming.
“We attribute the success [in apprehending the suspect] to community policing and village elders. We are warning others engaging in the activity that their days are numbered,” said the senior chief.