Garissa Supkem officials call for ban on miraa, muguka in North Eastern

Supkem officials in Garissa have called on the governors in North Eastern to ban the consumption and transportation of muguka and miraa in North Eastern.

The officials led by the Garissa branch chairman Abdullahi Salat, who also serves as the National Secretary called upon the Governors in Garissa, Wajir and Mandera to impose the ban on the miraa trade to save the future of the local youth who were destroyed by the stimulant plant.

The chairman urged the governors to come out without fear to enforce the move taken by coast region counties.

"Let's not politicise this issue, we understand their effect on the youth and how it has contributed to family breakups," stated the chairman.

He said religious leaders from North Eastern region will push for the ban using members of the public to ensure the governors from the region followed suit, similar to the coast region governors who have taken bold steps over the matter.

President William Ruto is pictured with Embu County leaders at the State House in Nairobi on May 27, 2024, during a meeting on the muguka ban by coastal counties. (Photo: PCS)

Addressing the press in Garissa town on Wednesday, he emphasised the effects of the mugaka and miraa consumption on the youth which he said were turning them into zombies.

Sheikh Hussein Mahat, a Supkem official, said NACADA has listed miraa and muguka as drugs and any efforts to sanitise its usage were uncalled for.

"We are proud of the steps taken by Mombasa and Kilifi counties and we are calling upon our governors from the three counties of Garissa, Wajir and Mandera not to have a second thought about banning the consumption and transportation of the drug," he insisted.

In a separate interview, a former long-serving cabinet minister Hussein Maalim Mohamed called upon religious leaders and political leaders to join hands and ensure miraa and muguka were totally banned from North Eastern.

Former cabinet minister Hussein Maalim Mohamed. (Photo: Handout)

"Real disaster"

He said the drug was a real disaster to both the school-going children, as well as the jobless and working-class youth.

"We are losing a whole generation unless we come out clearly and speak in one voice against the vice," Hussein said.

He urged counties to legislate laws that will enforce the ban to discourage the transportation and usage of the stimulant plant.

Hussein said those politicising the ban were completely detached from the reality on the ground.

President William Ruto on Tuesday said the governors of Mombasa, Kilifi, and Taita Taveta counties had agreed to attend a stakeholders meeting addressing concerns about the sale and use of muguka.

At a State House meeting with Embu County leaders on Monday, President William Ruto nullified the ban, citing existing laws on the stimulant, and directed the Agriculture ministry to convene a consultative meeting of key stakeholders to discuss their concerns.