Roots Party of Kenya presidential candidate Prof George Wajackoyah has pledged to decriminalize marijuana and introduce snake farming in Kenya if elected as the country’s fifth president.
Speaking to Citizen TV on Wednesday, June 8, Wajackoyah downplayed MPs’ decision on Tuesday to raise the public debt ceiling to Sh10 trillion, claiming Kenya’s total public and external debt is unsustainable.
He revealed that snake poison extracted from farmed snakes is worth a fortune and has the potential to drive the country’s economy alongside weed farming.
“We are introducing snake farming in the country so that we can extract snake poison for the purposes of medication. A lot of people are bitten by snakes in this country and you have to wait for doses from outside the country through pharmaceutical cooperation,” Wajackoyah said.
Wajackoyah also noted that snake meat is a delicacy in some countries, so Kenya could invest in anti-venom production while also selling snake meat abroad to diversify its revenue-generating schemes.
“We have so many snakes in this country and we have so many snake eaters. One of the ways we are going to offset debt is by taking these snakes, extracting poison from them and manufacturing them into anti-venom and shipping the reptiles to other countries where they are consumed,” Wajackoyah explained.
According to the Roots Party leader, companies, including in the United States where recreational use of marijuana has been legalized in 19 states, are angling for Kenya’s untapped market should he win the presidency on August 9, 2022.
“Raising the debt ceiling is a non-issue because we have the solution – the growing of marijuana. It will enable this country to pay its outstanding debts, and ensure Kenyans have enough money wherever they are so that we can sustain and arrest the [debt] situation,” said Wajackoyah.
Wajackoyah projected that his administration would earn more than $3 billion per 1,000 acres from the farming and export of the cannabis indica plant, enabling his government to pay off its debt.
“One sack of marijuana, and, I’m not talking of these sacks that you see people carrying – there are sacks scientifically made for marijuana, goes for $3.2 million. If you grow 1,000 acres of land and harvest 1,000 bags, then definitely…,” said Wajackoyah.
The presidential candidate is one of four candidates chosen by the IEBC to compete for the top spot in the August 9 elections.
