Thousands of muguka farmers in Kenya are staring at economic uncertainty following a legislative proposal to delist the stimulant from the scheduled crops list, a move that could strip it of legal protection and State support.
The Bill tabled in the National Assembly by Kilifi North MP Owen Baya proposes to amend the Crops Act to differentiate miraa (khat) from muguka, and then delete the latter from the list of scheduled crops.
Scientifically known as catha edulis, the crop is chewed for its stimulation effect, amid controversy over its alleged downside effects such as dependence, insomnia, increased blood pressure, migraine and impaired sexual potency in men, among others.
“The principal object of the Bill is to amend the Crops Act Cap 318 to differentiate muguka from miraa and therefore expressly exclude Muguka from being a scheduled crop,” reads the proposed law.
The referenced Act, enacted in 2013, lists specific scheduled crops, which are subject to mandatory certification and regulation throughout their value chain to ensure quality and standards across the industry.
Listed crops also benefit from occasional State subsidies and national market structures, as well as other government-backed support such as extension services and research.
The proposal to delist muguka adds a new twist to the raging controversy over its trade amid sustained pressure by coastal counties to curtail its sale, if not ban it altogether. A year ago, President William Ruto faulted a purported ban on miraa and muguka by Mombasa and Kilifi governors, saying that the crops are legally recognised in Kenya.
Ratification of the proposed amendment could, therefore, mean that counties could regulate or ban muguka unilaterally without inference from the national law, as delisting would mean the crop is no longer recognised in law, exposing it to vulnerabilities such as restrictions due to loss of government support.
This would, in turn, deal a blow to the more than 65,000 farmers cultivating the crop in Embu —where the farming is predominantly done—with data from the county indicating that the stimulant supports an estimated Sh22 billion economy.
This would be in addition to losses in revenue collections to the government, as it is estimated that in Mombasa, for instance, the county government earns Sh1 million daily in levies from muguka trade.
Coast counties are the biggest markets for the stimulant, with a kilogramme retailing for between Sh300 and Sh600, hitting Sh1,000 during the dry seasons.
Last year, Taita Taveta joined Mombasa and Kilifi in banning the sale and distribution of miraa and muguka.
