Kabarnet: Two suspects found in possession of 45 rolls of bhang with a street value of Sh 4,500 have been released on Sh 120,000 bond with one surety of the same amount by a Kabarnet court. Mavin Munywa and Kelvin Kipruto appeared before Principal Magistrate Caroline Ateya and were charged with being in possession of bhang contrary to section 3 (1) as read with section 3 (2) (a) of the narcotic drugs and psychotropic substance control amendment act of 2022.
According to Kenya News Agency, the court heard that on June 10, 2026, at around 9:02 am at Barwessa market centre in Baringo West Sub-County, Baringo County, Munywa and Kipruto were found in possession of 45 rolls of a substance believed to be Cannabis Sativa with a street value of Sh 4,500, which was not in medical preparation form. When the charges were read to the duo who were present in court, they both pleaded not guilty.
The owner of the vehicle used by Munywa and Kipruto, through her lawyer, prayed to the court to direct the officer commanding station (OCS) at Barwessa police station to release the vehicle back to him. The prosecution counsel, Moses Ng’ang’a, however, objected to the application, stating that the vehicle owner is under investigation for the charge of trafficking and that the vehicle should remain in police custody.
The defense counsel, in reply to the objection, argued that the owner of the vehicle has not been summoned by the Investigating Officer and that there is no application before the court to the same. The defense said that the prosecution application was wishful, and they were willing to deposit the original logbook in court to facilitate the release.
The magistrate, in her ruling, ordered Munywa and Kipruto to be released on Sh 60,000 bond each with surety of a similar amount or an alternative cash bail of Sh 20,000 for each of them. Magistrate Ateya added that the prosecution has 24 hours within which they are to complete their investigations regarding the vehicle or take necessary steps to ensure they have probable cause to continue holding the car, failure to which the motor vehicle should be released to the owner.
