Residents from Madogo and Mororo in Tana River county have asked Governor Dadho Godana to ban the sale and transportation of miraa to contain the spread of coronavirus.
The residents want Dadho to follow the example of his Garissa counterpart Ali Korane who banned the stimulant from his county two weeks ago.
Ali said the decision was reached due to the unhygienic way the miraa is handled at the source, during transportation and trading.
Speaking for the residents, Sheikh Abdiwelli Ali said that since the ban in Garissa, Madogo and Mororo have become the drop-off points for the merchandise destined for the town.
This was exposing the residents to the risk of contracting and spreading the virus, he said.
Abdiwelli said that police at the Tana bridge barrier have failed to stop miraa from entering Garissa town.
The cleric said that the miraa is brought in at night and dropped at collection points within Madogo and Mororo where they are repackaged and collected by the traders or their proxies from Garissa who distribute to their customers.
“The way the miraa is repackaged and distributed is wanting. The distributors mingle and congregate in total disregard to social distancing, exposing themselves to the risk of contracting and spreading the virus,” Abdiweli said.
He said some residents have joined the lucrative illicit trade of smuggling the repackaged commodity, ignorant of the risk they are exposing themselves to.
Abdiweli said that the only way to keep the residents of the two centres safe is to ban the trade until the government relaxes the Covid-19 control guidelines.
“I am urging governor Dadho to ban miraa transportation and sale to save our people from this deadly disease,” he said.
The cleric said the move might not be popular for now because many residents depend on the trade to eke a living.
He said that Kenyans should learn from countries that ignored their government's directives and “are now paying dearly for their defiance”.
Abdiwelli thanked the Ministry of Health and the national government for the tremendous campaign on how to combat the disease.
The number of Covid-19 patients in Kenya hit 50 on Tuesday and the Health ministry has warned that by the end of next month the figure could be 10,000.
(edited by o. owino)
