Embu farmers have criticized the ban on the muguka trade in Mombasa and Kilifi counties, even as calls by religious and political leaders mount for other counties to take similar action.
On Saturday, led by their county deputy governor, Kinyua Mugo, and Women Representative Njoki Njeru, hundreds of farmers held demonstrations in Embu town, protesting what they considered an illegal move.
They criticised the decision of Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir stating they were not consulted before the ban on the stimulant was imposed to provide their views.
“It is unfair for Mombasa to ban the sale of muguka, which is a cash crop that locals depend on for survival. Growing and selling of muguka is a legal business and the position taken in Mombasa is illegal,” Ms Njeru said.
Mombasa is the largest market for muguka nationally.
On Wednesday, May 22, Mr Nassir outlawed the entry, transportation, sale, and consumption of Muguka and its products within Mombasa County, and ordered the immediate closure of all outlets selling or distributing the products.
“By the authority vested in me by the constitution and existing laws, I hereby order and direct a total prohibition on the entry, transportation, distribution, sale, and use of Muguka and all its products within Mombasa County,” the executive order stated.
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Mr Nassir ordered Mombasa county officials to enforce the directive with immediate effect.
He stated that science has proven that consumption of muguka causes mental health diseases and disabilities. It also leads to other devastating health, socio-economic, and environmental consequences, placing a burden on minors, families, and county systems.
On Friday, Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro also outlawed the entry, transportation, distribution, sale, and consumption of the stimulant within his county.
Mr Mung’aro immediately ordered the closure of all outlets selling muguka within the county.
The ban has gained widespread support across various parts of the country, with Muslim leaders in the North Rift region throwing their weight behind the initiative.
Under the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK), religious leaders want miraa and muguka categorized as banned drugs, citing their contribution to increased juvenile crimes in the country.
“The consumption of miraa and muguka is the driving factor behind drug abuse, including the intake of second-generation alcohol and hard drugs like heroin and bhang; the trade needs to be outlawed,” CIPK North Rift Chairman Sheikh Abubakar Bini said on Friday.
At the same time leaders from Kilifi among them Ganze Member of Parliament Kenneth Kazungu have lauded the ban saying the stimulant has destroyed the youth in the county.
“I want to laud Governor Mung’aro for banning the substance since it has destroyed our youth, [who] spend their daytime and nighttime chewing the substance,” Mr Kazungu said.
Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, and National Heritage, Aisha Jumwa, who previously served as the Woman Representative for Kilifi, also supported the ban, urging security forces to enforce it in both counties.
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