{"id":14943,"date":"2024-05-28T11:26:46","date_gmt":"2024-05-28T11:26:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.getufm.co.ke\/?p=14943"},"modified":"2024-05-28T11:26:48","modified_gmt":"2024-05-28T11:26:48","slug":"leaders-call-for-garissa-isiolo-and-4-other-counties-to-ban-miraa-and-muguka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.getufm.co.ke\/?p=14943","title":{"rendered":"Leaders Call for Garissa, Isiolo and 4 Other Counties to Ban Miraa and Muguka."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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In a major setback for farmers, the heated debate over the legality of muguka and miraa is intensifying, with six more counties considering bans. Muslim leaders in North Eastern Kenya have urged governors in Garissa, Wajir, Mandera, Isiolo, Tana River, and Marsabit to ban these products. Garissa is the second-largest market for muguka after Mombasa, with Isiolo also being significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recent bans in three counties have farmers in Embu, Meru, and Kirinyaga facing potential losses of up to Ksh 1 billion a day. On Tuesday, May 28, leaders cited health and socioeconomic issues from using these stimulants. They stressed the negative effects on education, health, and livelihoods, urging swift action to tackle what they see as a growing crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“If you look at school attendance in these counties, it is very low, and there is no day the sale of this product has brought profits, even to the traders,” one leader said, highlighting the broad impact on communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This move comes amid legal challenges and political maneuvering. President William Ruto opposes the bans in Kilifi and Mombasa counties, claiming muguka is a legal crop under the Crops Act 2013 and Miraa Regulations 2023. Ruto says these laws, approved by the National Assembly and the Council of Governors, legalize the cultivation, sale, and export of muguka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ruto’s stance aligns with a petition against the bans by business interests in the affected counties. They argue NACADA has not classified muguka as a narcotic and that Miraa regulations recognize both miraa and muguka as legal crops. The petitioners also claim there was no public participation in the decision-making process and that only the national government can declare substances as narcotics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the bans have support from local authorities who assert that county governments have the right to regulate substances. This debate raises key questions about the balance of power between national and local governments and the complexity of navigating legal frameworks in a multi-tiered system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, a 2013 NACADA study highlights the prevalence and consequences of khat (miraa) and muguka use in Kenya, showing high consumption rates, especially among males, and links to education, rural residence, and occupation. The report also points to peer influence in starting substance use and the wide acceptance of miraa in Kenyan society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concerns continue about the health and socioeconomic effects of unregulated stimulant use. From sleep disorders to addiction and crime, the impact spreads across communities, worsening existing problems and hindering progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a major setback for farmers, the heated debate over the legality of muguka and miraa is intensifying, with six more counties considering bans. Muslim leaders in North Eastern Kenya have urged governors in Garissa, Wajir, Mandera, Isiolo, Tana River, and Marsabit to ban these products. Garissa is the second-largest market for muguka after Mombasa, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":14944,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12,13,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-health","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.getufm.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/a20person20holding20several20bunches20of20miraa.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.getufm.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.getufm.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.getufm.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.getufm.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.getufm.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14943"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.getufm.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14943\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14945,"href":"https:\/\/www.getufm.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14943\/revisions\/14945"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.getufm.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.getufm.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.getufm.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.getufm.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}