County's plan to ban miraa use

John Richoro, a miraa trader in Kiengu, Meru County. [Olivia Murithi/Standard]

The county government has revived a plan to ban sale and consumption of khat (miraa) in the region.

In May last year, Governor Francis Kimemia vowed to enact a law to stop trading in and chewing of khat, but the then Trade Executive never presented a Bill in the county assembly.

However, Mr Kimemia yesterday directed the Education and Social Services Executive committee member Stephen Mwaura to put in place the legal framework to control the trade.

He regretted that most of the youths were idling in dens, chewing miraa and muguka instead of working.

"We will ban the sale and consumption of this drug, that is why I order a legal framework to be put in place immediately,” he said in Ol Jororok.

The governor also directed that the number of bars and night clubs in the county be reduced by half. The county has 1,300 registered bars and night clubs, which the county chief says are way too many.

"This is one of the agendas my administration is concentrating on. We cannot have over 1,300 bars in the region, which is much higher than that of schools and churches combined," he said.

The governor lamented chewing of miraa and alcoholism were also impacting negatively on education standards of the region, as the trend had also infiltrated schools.

“Our students have now taken to alcohol and chewing of miraa. As long as I am the governor, this will not happen again,” he said.

Kimemia said that would be done in collaboration with the national government agencies. He said the county government had already disbanded the County Liquor Licensing Board over extortion claims.

"We cannot have a board that is collecting revenue and at the end, it is just benefiting some few individuals," he said.