Bungoma bans Muguka: County links sale of leafy stimulant to rising crime
A miraa and muguka trader displays his stock at his stall on Latema Road, Nairobi on June 3, 2024.
What you need to know:
- Crackdown on muguka is part of efforts by local authorities to enhance security and curb social vices.
- Residents have been urged to adhere to the directive and cooperate with security personnel in the county.
Security officials in Bungoma County have banned the sale and consumption of muguka in the region, citing insecurity concerns.
The authorities claim that the substance is behind a sharp increase in school drop outs in the area and an upsurge in criminal activities.
While announcing the ban, Bungoma West Deputy County Commissioner (DCC) Ali Muhamud directed all traders selling muguka to cease immediately.
Muhamud said the freedom to sell and consume muguka had caused significant harm to many youths and schoolchildren, who have been addicted to the mild stimulant.
"This trade is not only contributing to the destruction of our youth, but it has also to the escalated criminal activities in the area,” said Mr Muhamud.
According to the administrator, idle youth spend time in neigbourhood 'bases' chewing muguka while plotting criminal activities.
"They want to have money to continue chewing the substance and enjoying life, yet they have no jobs. They end up engaging in crime to get money," Mr Muhamud said.
The crackdown on muguka is part of a broader effort by local authorities to enhance security and curb social vices in Bungoma County during the holiday season.
Residents have been urged to adhere to the directive and cooperate with security personnel in the county.
The call to ban or regulate muguka has drawn mixed reactions, with some lauding the move and others calling for alternative ways of tackling crime and drug addiction among the youth.
Traders and consumers of the drug have argued that muguka has been recognised by national legislation, which no other laws should contradict.
Mr Hussein Mambo, a muguka consumer, said the ban should only have been enforced after broader stakeholder deliberations.
“Not all those who use muguka engage in criminal activities. In fact, muguka is a multimillion-shilling cash crop with lucrative local markets that are greatly contributing to the country’s economy,” Mr Mambo said.
But Pastor Joel Chitayi of Deliverance Church noted that muguka is a narcotic that is destroying lives and turning the youth into zombies.
“Majority of the productive youth are spending their time chewing muguka in bases instead of working to earn a living. Once they have had enough of the substance, they lose focus,” Pastor Chitayi said.
On the other hand, muguka traders in Bungoma have decried the move saying it would adversely affect their livelihoods.
Mr Lazarus Wekesa, a trader at Sirisia market in Bungoma West, said the traders were not given a chance to present their views before the ban come into force.
“The authorities just made this decision without considering its effects on hundreds of families who rely on this trade. We are not comfortable with the ban," lamented Mr Wekesa.
Mr James Sifuna, a boda boda rider, said he has been earning money by transporting muguka from its drop off point in Bungoma town to various points of sale across the county.
"It (muguka) is a major economic driver, supporting numerous auxiliary businesses ranging from transport to retail," he noted.
In May, this year, Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir banned the sale, supply and consumption of muguka in the coastal county.
Other governors in the coastal counties of Kilifi, Kwale and Taita-Taveta followed suit by banning, restricting the sale of muguka, or increasing county taxes on its sale and supply.
The counties cited the strain put on their limited rehabilitation facilities because of the adverse health impacts of muguka, especially among the youth.
The coastal leaders further said muguka was increasingly sold to and consumed by school-going children, contributing to a high school dropout rate among the youth.
But President William Ruto would later overturned the ban even as the High Court issued an order restraining the coastal counties from effecting the ban until July 8, 2024.
Muguka is a low-cost, highly addictive variant of khat (Catha edulis) grown largely in Embu, Meru and Tharaka-Nithi counties in central Kenya.
Derived from the same plant, muguka consists of the leaves while the pricier version, miraa, includes the stems and the leaves.
Miraa/muguka is a scheduled crop under the Crop Act 2013 and the Miraa Regulations 2022.
The Miraa Regulations, 2022 obligates the government to allocate funds for the farming, licensing, promotion, regulation, transportation, aggregation, selling, marketing and export of the crop.
A study by the National Authority for the Campaign Against Drug Abuse (Nacada) classifies miraa/muguka as a drug containing the psychoactive substances cathinone and cathine, which stimulate the central nervous system.
When chewed, muguka has a euphoric effect.
According to Nacada, consumption of the leafy stimulant causes increased energy, alertness and enhanced mood.
It also causes dehydration, reproductive health problems, dental decay, constipation, insomnia, impaired cognitive functioning, dizziness, anxiety and dependence.
Muguka is often consumed in combination with an assortment of other stimulants, including alcohol, cannabis and pharmaceuticals.
