Ban on Kenyan miraa ill-advised

A ban on Kenyan khat (miraa) by Somalia nearly caused a riot in the Meru region where the cash crop is largely grown. The embargo was blamed on a visit by Meru Governor Peter Munya to Somaliland, an area that has sought to secession from Somalia. A ban by Britain in 2013, and which cost miraa farmers $2 million weekly in losses, left Somalia as the only market for the popular stimulant.

President Uhuru Kenyatta’s visit to Somalia on Tuesday saw a reversal of the ban. That offers relief to miraa farmers. In truth, the Somali government erred in denying innocent business their bread over something that could have been resolved through diplomacy. Good neighbourliness forms a pillar of our foreign policy. Kenya has been kind to Somalia hosting nearly a million of them in refugee camps across the country.