NAIROBI, Kenya, May 28-Agriculture and Livestock Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi has maintained that the ban on Muguka a variety of Miraa by Mombasa and Kilifi counties “null and void” amid raging debate on the implication of the ban.
Mombasa Governor Abdullswamad Nassir and his Kilifi counterpart Gideon Mung’aro have given executive orders barring any entry, use, and sale of muguka in their counties citing health concerns.
However, CS Linturi has said that Muguka is a variety of Miraa and is a scheduled crop under the Crops Act 2013 and thus should be regulated under the Miraa Regulations (2023).
The Crops Act 2013 lists Miraa under crops with no breeding program.
“I joined the President William Ruto at State House for a consultative meeting with leaders from Embu County led by Governor, Cecily Mbarire over the Muguka ban by selected counties. I informed the meeting that the purported ban is null and void,” Linturi said Monday.
He pointed out that the laws were passed by the National Assembly and the Senate and in concurrence of the Council of Governors.
Following the meeting, President William Ruto directed the Ministry of Agriculture to convene a consultative forum on Muguka Regulations in response to the ban.
Ruto directed the expedited formation of a Miraa/Muguka pricing committee under the Crops Act 2013.
He said the Council of Governors has already nominated three members to the committee.
“With Mũgũka having been recognized by national legislation, any other laws or order that contradicts national legislation is null and void,” State House announced.
Ruto said the future of Miraa/Muguka is in scaling up farming aggregation, grading, pricing, packaging, and value addition.
“Having been passed by Parliament, the regulations obligate the Government to allocate funds for the farming, licensing, promotion, regulation, transportation, aggregation, selling, marketing and export of the crop,” State House noted.
The President made the remarks after meeting leaders from Embu County led by Governor Cecily Mbarire, MPs and MCAs.
Muguka ban
Muguka is predominantly cultivated in Embu County on the lower parts of Mbeere South and North Constituencies.
On May 25, 2024, Embu County vowed to move to court to challenge the
move by Mombasa and Kilifi banning the supply, sale, and consumption of muguka,
a substance containing still cathinone.
Embu Deputy Governor Kinyua Mugo said there was no justification for banning
muguka claiming there is no scientific evidence to prove that muguka
was a drug.
He said there was no single law prohibiting its sale or consumption.
Mugo said they will seek orders lifting the ban as they seek other avenues
of unlocking the stalemate.
“Muguka and Miraa are like the same. We are reading politics. There is
mischief, and we believe everything is being done with bad faith. Because we
have had engagements with the Mombasa government and they still went behind our back and gave the others,” he said.
