Coast

Kaya, Digo and Muslim leaders call for total muguka ban in Kwale

Muguka on sale in Eastleigh, Nairobi, in this file picture. (Photo: Abdirahman Khalif/EV)

By Mishi Gongo | Sunday, June 2, 2024

They say Governor Fatuma Achani's sharp increase of charges to Sh300,000 per lorry is not enough to curb addiction to the stimulant.

Kaya, Digo, and Muslim leaders from Kwale County have criticised Governor Fatuma Achani's move to heavily tax the stimulant muguka, which three coastal counties have banned.

Mombasa, Taita Taveta and Kilifi have prohibited the entry, sale, and use of the crop, but Kwale resolved not to follow suit, following President William Ruto's declaration that the bans by the three counties were null and void, in line with

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Instead, Achani's government has increased charges per lorry ferrying the crop into the county from Sh10,000 to Sh300,000. She made the announcement on June 1, during Madaraka Day celebrations at Sobibor in Macknnon, saying the county had no authority to issue a total ban.

Addressing the press in Diani on Sunday, the Kaya, Digo, and Muslim leaders said Achani's move fell far from a solution to curb abuse and addiction to the stimulant, hence their call for its total ban primarily to protect the youth.

"Muguka has many more negative effects than benefits for our county. It has contributed to the sprouting of juvenile gangs in the region," said Fatuma Mbeto, a Kaya elder.

Omar Boga, former chair of the Coast Water Works Development Agency, addresses journalists in the Ukunda area of Diani, Kwale, on June 1, 2024, flanked by leaders including Digo community chair Chirau Mwakwere,during a press briefing that called for a total muguka ban in the county. (Photo: Mishi Gongo/EV)

Omar Boga, former chair of the Coast Water Works Development Agency, said the youth have missed out on key government opportunities due to heavy consumption of muguka.

"We will do whatever it takes to stop the entry of muguka into our county. If it means going to court, we will. During KDF recruitments, our youth have been disqualified for having bad teeth and being underweight, which is because of the heavy consumption of muguka, which kills their appetite and causes their teeth to break," he said.

Kaya elder Iddi Siwi speaks to journalists in the Ukunda area of Diani, Kwale, on June 1, 2024, during a press briefing at which Kaya, Digo, and Muslim leaders called for a total ban on muguka in the county. (Photo: Mishi Gongo/EV)

Another Kaya elder, Iddi Siwi, said the stimulant is ruining the lives of both boys and girls in the region.

"We are recording a high number of divorces because men cannot satisfy their wives' sexual needs and consumers neglect their families because they spend entire days at maskanis," he said.

Kassim Kitoza, a resident, said the muguka menace is a social issue that requires all community leaders to unite and fight.

"If we leave this matter in the hands of elected leaders, it will be shrouded in politics as they will use it to gain mileage," he said, adding that he was once an addict but quit due to the adverse effects it had on his health.

Chirau Mwakwere, Chair of the Digo community, said the youth engage in crime to make money to support their addiction to muguka.

"The youth have stopped being productive; they spend a whole day chewing the leaves and engaging in criminal activities, he said.

Matuga ex-MP Hassan Mwanyoha speaks to journalists in the Ukunda area of Diani, Kwale, on June 1, 2024, during a press briefing at which Kaya, Digo, and Muslim leaders called for a total ban on muguka in the county. (Photo: Mishi Gongo/EV)

Matuga ex-MP Hassan Mwanyoha said they would involve all the stakeholders in the fight to sustain the ban, while Sheikh Mwakidudu Sauti, chair of the Kwale Muslim Development Initiative, asked President Ruto not to force counties to accept the stimulant.

"Yes, the country recognises muguka as a cash crop, but the government should allow counties to decide whether or not to allow it," he said.