- The Senator said he has made rational decisions as a leader for the past 12 years while chewing Muguka.
- Murungi noted that he also chairs the Senate as the deputy speaker and has never made any irrational decision.
Image: FILE
Meru Senator Kathuri Murungi has defended muguka following a directive to ban its sale and consumption in Mombasa and Kilifi.
Murungi said he chews muguka every Saturday and has never made any irrational decisions due to the use of the plant.
"I chew every Saturday and the decisions I have made for the last 12 years as an MP they are always very rational," the Senator said.
He added:
"As the deputy speaker even after chewing for whatever hours I can chew, I have never made any irrational decision. Actually, if I don't chew I can have a problem."
The ban on muguka in Mombasa and Kilifi counties followed concerns raised by a section of stakeholders.
Statistics show that at least 80 per cent of mental health problems found in the streets of Mombasa are due to over-consumption of muguka, Mombasa Women Empowerment Rehabilitation Center founder Amina Abdallah said.
“Use of muguka has broken so many marriages. We have received so many complaints from couples during our counselling sessions. They tell us that either the wife or husband uses muguka a lot, which affects their marriage, and they end up in depression,” Abdallah said.
A high percentage of users in the coastal region are men, but women now make 40 per cent, an increase from 10 per cent initially.
“This is like a pandemic, and we have to accept it; therefore, we are calling upon the government to join hands and help us fight the menace. There is nothing that will help Mombasa and the coastal region at large like going on the ground to talk to those users,” Abdallah said.
They have adult male patients "walking in diapers" at their facility, as the use of muguka has interfered with their bodily functions.
The mental health champion said they will roll out a program sensitising the public on the effects of muguka, in a bid to reduce its consumption.
This is in support of Governor Abdulswamad Nassir's cause, who declared war against muguka and miraa around learning institutions.
Abdallah urged the governor not to back down.
Dr Janbibi Yusuf, a psychiatrist at Mombasa Women's Hospital who supported the ban, said chemically, muguka and miraa are both stimulants that affect not only the brain but also blood pressure.
She said the chemicals in muguka affect the stomach but also cause psychosis and confusion, which makes people "not understand themselves, meaning they can do anything".
Men with prolonged use of the substance may have a reduced sperm count which causes impotence and infertility, Yusuf said.