Calls to have Northern Counties join in banning muguka dominate speeches during Madaraka day celebrations.
Speaking in Modogashe town during the fate, the leaders led by Lagdera MP Abdikadir Hussein urged Governor Nathif Jama to be bold enough and join the three coastal governors who have already banned the stimulant from their counties.
Mombasa, Kilifi and Taita Taveta governors have banned the entry, transportation, distribution, sale, and use of muguka within their counties.
A few days later , a section of leaders from Embu led by Embu Deputy Governor Justus Mugo led residents in demonstrations accusing “interested parties” are out to sabotage the business.
Hussein took issue with the protest describing their actions as ‘hypocrisy of the highest level’.
“Leaders from Mt. kenya should stop this hypocrisy and selfishness, on one hand they are supporting the crackdown on illicit brew and other substance abuse in their region but on the other hand they are defending and supporting the sell of muguka just because they are minting millions out of it,” he said.
Hussein said that the region is one of the most affected when it comes to the abuse of the plant [muguka] noting that Its effects on those who are using is very much visible, some even developing mental health issues.
“As a leader it really pains me when I come across many youth some as young as 20 in my constituency whose lives have been completely ruined by this plant. How can we be talking of transforming our region when the very same population that should help in realizing this has been turned into zombies,” he said.
According to Hussein, as leaders they were ready and willing to walk and work with the governor in the journey of ensuring that the plant is completely banned saying that regulating it would not help matters.
He said that the debate about banning the plant was gaining momentum at the right time saying that as MPs from the region they would be the first ones to pass a bill banning the plant when its brought to parliament.
On his part Dadaab MP Farah Maalim called on the youth to take up the initiative of fighting the stimulant saying that they are the most affected.
He said that the biggest problem in this region is miraa and muguka and that the consumers are also abusing prescribed drugs like Diazepam which are very dangerous.
“We are not going to watch the destruction of our youth and the societies of this country. We will not accept this anymore. We are telling the police fight this menace of bang entering through the Ethiopia border now,” he said.
He appealed to farmers in Embu and Meru counties to switch from planting miraa and Muguka to other crops like tea and coffee which are not harmful to human health adding that Poison cannot become the empowerment of a society.
The political leaders comments come barely three days after Muslim clerics from Garissa called on governors from Northeastern counties to emulate their coastal counterparts and ban muguka in the region.
President William Ruto has since declared such bans null and void.
The High Court in Embu also temporarily suspended the executive orders banning the sale, distribution, and consumption of muguka in Mombasa, Kilifi and Taita Taveta Counties until a case on the same is heard and determined.
