RUTO may never set foot in Meru again – See what his government has done with MIRAA that has irked residents

 

Thursday, May 18, 2023 – Miraa farmers and traders are up in arms against President William Ruto’s government after the National Authority for the Campaign against Drug Abuse (NACADA) listed miraa as a drug.

NACADA CEO Victor Okioma said Miraa is a drug that “is responsible for many substance use disorders”.

“There are people who are in rehabilitation centers for the use of miraa. 

“However, the most problematic khat is the type known as muguka. 

“Our studies have shown that its Narcotics, Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act as harmful substances,” Mr Okioma said.

He said as members of the UN, they have committed to customising the law to prohibit the use of miraa.

“The position of NACADA is that miraa is harmful and muguka is even more harmful. This is why we are discouraging the expansion of markets and are against attempts to process it into juices and wine. 

“Unless they have found a way of removing the harmful constituents, we will oppose it,” the NACADA boss said.

However, farmers and other Miraa stakeholders have protested the move, arguing that the report has watered down efforts to restore the status of Miraa.

NACADA’s position comes a few months after Parliament passed the Miraa Regulations 2023 which are aimed at guiding the production, processing, and marketing of the produce.

The listing of miraa among the top drugs of abuse by NACADA has renewed calls for a multi-agency engagement to determine the fate of the crop.

A survey released by NACADA last week listed alcohol, tobacco, and miraa among the top drugs and substances of abuse among 15-65-year-olds, with miraa or muguka users being more than 960,000.