Meru women ask UK to bring their women to miraa-chewing men to prove it’s good

Florence Kajuju addresses the public during the Maili-Tatu miraa meeting. [PHOTOS: TITUS MURITHI/MERU]

By TITUS MURITHI

MERU; KENYA: Ever since British Home Secretary Theresa May announced her country’s intended ban on miraa, a lot has been said and done on the issue.

Some have even said British training centres in Kenya, especially in Laikipia County, should be closed in retaliation for the UK’s ban on miraa.

Then over the weekend Deputy President William Ruto and Meru County governor Peter Munya said they will raise Sh7 million to finance a case against the UK government’s decision to ban miraa. Speaking at Maili Tatu in Igembe Central, Ruto said the national government will contribute Sh5 million, while Meru County government will raise Sh2 million for the cause.

Women leaders from the region have taken the war over miraa to the Western nations.

To start with, during the meeting presided over by Ruto, the ward representative for Njia ward in central Igemebe Eunice Karema Kaberia, talked of the cultural uses of miraa in the Meru community. She talked of a kind of miraa called nchoro, which is still used for dowry among the Meru community. 

And Nyambene district Maendeleo Ya Wanawake chairlady Jennifer Kathure said miraa reduces heartburn, an acidic condition and expectant mothers who eat soil should instead chew a little miraa and the urge to eat soil would go away.

“I speak from a mother’s experience as I was born and brought up in a miraa environment,” she said.

Miraa does not make our men impotent at all. If anything when our men chew miraa they are overly active in bed. This can be confirmed by married women whose husbands chew miraa,” said Kathure. 

The Meru and Tharaka-Nithi women representatives Florence Kajuju and Beatrice Nkatha said miraa has never caused any sexual dysfunction in men.

Both women leaders observed that their fathers were great miraa chewers and yet they were sired by them.

“My father was a great miraa trader and chewer. He’s the one who sired me and my eight siblings. If miraa can cause impotency in men then our father could not have sired us,” said Nkatha.

Kajuju, who is the chairperson of the Parliamentary select committee on miraa, caused laughter when she suggested that the UK should bring over their wives to Meru men who chew so that they can prove miraa doesn’t cause any sexual dysfunction to men.

“Let these white people who say miraa can make our men not to perform their conjugal duties bring their wives to our warriors.

“I was even seeking for permission in Parliament to take our miraa chewing warriors to Holland and UK so they are given girls to work on and they shall realise men who chew miraa are smarter in bed,” said Kajuju. 

Apart from high-profile women, local rural women especially where miraa is grown are also fighting for its survival.

Since the announcement of the intended ban the women have been attending all meetings convened to deliberate on the matter in large numbers.

Some even come chewing miraa to show their solidarity in the fight to lift the miraa ban by UK and other countries.