For miraa exporters who work through the night to prepare delicate bundles for airfreight, broad smiles await on the horizon after Nairobi county announced a major boost.
Nairobi has announced plans to construct a miraa market at Ziwani/Kariokor—bringing long-awaited structure, dignity and efficiency to a trade that thousands of livelihoods depend on.
The devolved unit also announced that it would help more miraa traders to access export markets by helping them with the processes involved, including paperwork.
The announcement was made during a high-level stakeholder forum at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport last week.
The meeting brought together officials from Nairobi City County, the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA), Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) and miraa exporters to discuss the commodity's handling and export logistics.
Nairobi markets and trade chief officer Jane Wangũi assured traders of the county government’s commitment to providing a conducive environment for miraa trade to thrive, but emphasised that business must be conducted in an orderly and dignified manner.
“This is the right time to partner as government agencies and exporters to improve how miraa is handled,” Wangũi said.
“We must build capacity and sensitise traders to handle miraa with dignity so that people can respect it as a product.”
She said the county will soon break ground for a dedicated miraa market in Ziwani/Kariokor. The market is expected to ease congestion, provide proper packaging infrastructure and support regulatory compliance.
Wangũi said the county is willing to allocate temporary packaging space at the Kangundo Road market—located closer to JKIA—for exporters.
“This would ensure the product reaches the airport fully packaged and ready for export,” she said.
Traders will be required to meet specific county conditions to use the space.
The chief officer also highlighted Nairobi county’s mandate to establish physical and online markets, issue trade licenses and enforce compliance with relevant permits and regulations.
AFA director general Bruno Linyiru said miraa is a gazetted crop under the Kenyan law and must be treated accordingly.
“There is no need to treat miraa with suspicion,” he said.
“It is AFA’s responsibility to ensure it is properly handled and traders are treated with respect while complying with regulations.”
Grace Kyalo, director of miraa, pyrethrum, fibre and other industrial crops at AFA, reinforced the need to maintain quality and safety standards. She stressed that all actors in the value chain—from farmers to transporters—must be included and trained.
KAA commercial manager Jacob Bwana said miraa must arrive at the airport already packaged and ready for shipping.
“There will be no operational handling or preparation of miraa at the airport,” he stated.
“Exporters must adhere to proper handling protocols.”
A representative from the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service also emphasised the importance of using approved pesticides to ensure crop safety for consumers.
The planned changes are seen as a step toward professionalising the miraa sector and aligning it with national and international trade standards.
