Setbacks pull back miraa trade despite new status

Kello Harsama, the Secretary of Administration at the State Department of Crops in the Ministry of Agriculture (left) meets Meru governor Kiraitu Murungi on October 15, 2015 in the county headquarters at the start of the Miraa Task force Implementation Committee two week visit to crop growing areas in Mt Kenya East. Harsama is chairing the implementation committee. [Wainaina Ndung'u/Standard]

Even after miraa was recognised as a cash crop by the government in 2016 with a Sh1 billion budgetary allocation, local setbacks have recently hit the sub-sector.

Miraa is already reeling from an export ban to lucrative European markets in Britain and Netherlands where consumption was driven by the significant Somali immigrant community. Now industry players say some county governments have threatened to clamp down on miraa trade and consumption in their areas, posing further challenges.

The Miraa Implementation Task Force Committee, which has concluded two-week preliminary consultations in Mt Kenya East, has lobbied Meru, Embu and Tharaka Nithi governors to engage their counterparts through the Council of Governors (CoG) to stop this line of thought.

Task force chairman Kello Harsama said meetings are planned for the counties that have been sending out the negative signals.

“We will definitely go to those counties and talk to the governors and county assemblies and convince them of the new status of miraa and why they must support us,” said Harsama who is the Secretary of Administration at the Ministry of Agriculture.

The Nyambene Miraa Traders Association (Nyamita) cited the Sh100,000 annual levy to farm miraa proposed in the Makueni County Finance Bill, 2018.

“This is pure madness. Who in their right senses taxes farming?” said Nyamita chairman Kimathi Munjuri. “This isn’t the only levy on miraa proposed by the Makueni government. They have about six others.”

In March, the Kwale County Assembly passed a motion banning sale and consumption of miraa and muguka in the county.

In July, Khalija village in Mandera North Constituency sensationally announced a ban on the use and sale of miraa.

A month later, Mombasa MCA Fatma Mote announced she was planning to table a motion seeking the ban of the sale and use of miraa and muguka in the county.