President Uhuru is going to Jamaica and the jokes are writing themselves

On Tuesday, July 30, 2019, State House reported that President Uhuru Kenyatta is scheduled to visit Kingston, Jamaica for a State visit next week.

The innocent statement said Mr. Kenyatta is going to the Caribbean country “to explore opportunities for enhanced bilateral relations.”

But as soon as the news alert hit social media, the jokes started streaming in and they were all on the same stereotype associated with Jamaica, marijuana.

Jamaica’s Rastafarian history promotes a myth that marijuana is widely accepted but what many don’t know is that Jamaica legalized the drug four years ago.

Jamaican lawmakers passed an act to decriminalise small amounts of marijuana and established a licensing agency to regulate a lawful medical cannabis industry on the island.

Many were wondering what exactly these “bilateral relations” that are about to be enhanced are exactly. Will he be inspired enough to legalise marijuana? Will he try it?

There were many other memes about Mr. Kenyatta coming back from Jamaica wearing dreadlocks and speaking patois speaking like your favourite reggae/riddim artiste and the jokes are super hilarious.

By now, you have probably heard of “Plesdent Kingston”, from BrendahJons while trying to imitate a Kenyan mother’s reaction when their grown child wakes up late. Now, Kingston and President are a perfect pair for Uhuru and that is why everyone is now calling him Plesdent Kingston.

Even politicians have not been left behind, Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko, while urging MPs to pass the Late Ken Okoth’s bill to legalise marijuana passes in Parliament hinting that the president might get Jamaica to start exporting the drug to the country.

“Huyu ndugu yetu alikua na mswada wa maana sana… alitaka kulegalise marijuana ama bhangi. Tunaskia bhangi iko na dawa ya Cancer… na mnaona rais anaenda Jamaica, na ikipitishwa tutahakikisha bhangi safi inakuja kutoka Jamaica kama ndio italeta dawa ya Cancer,” said Mr. Sonko. (Our brother had a very good motion, he wanted to legalise marijuana or bhang. We are told bhang can treat cancer. You see the President is going to Jamaica, if passed (motion) we will ensure the best bhang comes from Jamaica if it will help treat cancer.)

ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna also touched on the issue saying ODM will take up Okoth’s bill. He at the same time cracked many ribs asking President Kenyatta to take Interior CS Fred Matiang’i with him to help him “relax.”

“On the issue of medical marijuana, mmesikia hilo jukumu wamepatia Babu Owino. Mimi hata nataka huwa mswada uwe wa chama cha ODM ili tuweze kutimiza malengo yake. Hata ras abebe Matiang’i labda akirudi atakuwa ametulia kidogo. (The President should go with Matiang’i maybe when he comes back he will have calmed down a bit.)

Here are some of the online jokes;

https://twitter.com/Onorpik/status/1156480579552067584

https://twitter.com/KLZ39/status/1156197803430940677

https://twitter.com/willywahungu/status/1156162149686927361

https://twitter.com/AmutaiOliver/status/1156155940321845249

https://twitter.com/retired_atheist/status/1156146677092368385

He'll legalise weed immediately he comes back

— Rainman Nyams (@nyamwanda1) July 30, 2019

Hope with your visit you will be able to note that cannabis sativa is much medicinal than hard drug and legalize it when you come back to enhance high tax generation in the Country

— JOABINHO (@JoabSeme) July 30, 2019

https://twitter.com/john_shakx/status/1156196616866603009

Plesdent Kingston anaenda Kingston what a coincidence

— tobias otieno (@tobiasotieno5) July 30, 2019