Contestation over muguka, miraa moves to Parliament as MP files notice to have them banned

The contestation whether muguka and miraa crops are fit for human consumption has now moved to Parliament after Kilifi North MP Owen Baya petitioned the National Assembly to have the two crops declared illegal.

Baya has filed a notice with the Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang'ula to amend the Crops Act 2022 to repeal the Miraa regulations, 2023.

Baya, who is the Deputy Majority Leader, is proposing a review of the first schedule of the Crops Act 2022 part 3 to delete miraa from the list of scheduled crops, in a move that is likely to raise protests from leaders coming from where the two crops are grown.

The Kilifi North lawmaker also wants the Second Schedule of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act 2022 be amended to classify muguka and miraa as psychotropic substances that are harmful to humans when consumed.

"The difference between muguka and miraa is in the levels of cathine and cathinone which are higher in muguka, therefore, miraa should not be specified as a scheduled crop as it contains harmful substances," said Baya in the notice.

According to Baya, his move is pushed by the increased use of the two crops by youths across the country, a habit he has described as detrimental to their health.

"Muguka or miraa is one of the drugs highly abused by the youth and studies show that crime rates and anti-social behaviours are significantly higher after initiation of the substance use," said Baya.

Baya also alleges that studies have indicated that the two stimulants could cause anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, manic behaviour, paranoia, lack of sleep, psychosis and many other health problems.

"By introducing the amendment, there will be more control on production and consumption of the substance," said Baya.

Most leaders at the Coast and North Eastern have supported the ban on the sale and transportation of muguka by Mombasa and Kilifi counties. Others in the two regions have vowed to follow suit.

On May 22, Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir issued an Executive Order prohibiting the entry, distribution, sale, and consumption of the muguka or its products within Mombasa.

The order decrees an indefinite ban and directs the county government's inspectorate authority to enforce the directives.

Since the ban, several tons of muguka have been destroyed in Mombasa in a move that has caused uproar, and shaped debate on the fate of the crops and its farmers.

President William Ruto has, however, said the two stimulants are classified as cash crops, and vowed to meet leaders from the coastal region over the matter.

In Kwale, Governor Fatuma Achani promised not to ban the sale and consumption of muguka, breaking ranks with her peers at the Coast. She has, however, announced that her leadership will seek to raise the cess on muguka from Sh10,000 to Sh100,000 through Finance Bill 2024/2025.

On Friday, enforcement officers from Mombasa and Kilifi counties manned the entries of the two counties and confiscated muguka despite the President's decree.

There was chaos too on Thursday in Kilifi town after two muguka sellers armed with pangas and knives attacked county askaris collecting cess outside the gate of Pwani University.