The sale and consumption of muguka will be banned in Lamu if a proposed motion is passed.
Deputy speaker Paul Kimani (Mkunumbi) cites "damage to the community" in the motion to be tabled this week.
Muguka is a miraa variant grown in Embu.
Kimani says muguka is easily available and cheaper than miraa, "hence making it affordable even to schoolchildren". Unlike miraa which retails at Sh2,000 a kilo, muguka goes for as low as Sh50.
He says the substance has destroyed lives and ought to be tackled before it inflicts further damage. According to the ward rep, many consumers have neglected their families, hence marriage break-ups.
He claims that many muguka consumers become petty criminals.
“We must save our families and restore sanity among our people. We must save our small children who are turning into addicts just because the stimulant is cheaper and affordable.”
The proposed motion has been opposed by traders and consumers who say they are unfairly targeted "yet muguka is just like miraa".
Lamu Meru Community chairperson Jacob Muroki asked why anyone would want to have it banned just because it is affordable. He accused the MCA of ulterior motives.
He said leaders should find out who sells muguka to pupils and deal with them.
“Don't they have other useful motions to table? If one or two persons make the trade look bad, action should be taken against them. Leave the rest of us alone. We depend on this for survival."
Lamu Miraa Traders Association chairperson Ibrahim Kamanja said muguka traders operate strictly within set rules and do not sell to children even when they are sent by their parents.
“We insist that the parents must come and buy muguka themselves. Never do we sell to children. That's how we keep children from consuming it,” Kamanja said.
Trader John Kirea said miraa and muguka traders were unfairly targeted yet they are taxed heavily.
“Additional sanctions will be outright unfair and stifle our trade," he said.
In March 2018, Kwale MCAs passed a motion seeking to ban the sale of miraa and muguka shortly after hundreds of youth were rejected during the KDF recruitment due to stained teeth, a result of too much chewing of the leaves and twigs.
Edited by R.Wamochie
