State to allocate Ksh 500M to miraa and muguka

President Ruto  addressing Embu miraa and muguka stakeholders

 The Government has committed to allocate Ksh 500 million to miraa and muguka farmers in the 2024/25 Financial Year for value addition.

Speaking after holding talks with leaders from Embu County and stakeholders on the recent ban on muguka, President William Ruto said the future of the two crops is in scaling up farming, aggregation, grading, pricing, packaging and value addition of the crop.

“For this reason, the government has committed to allocate Ksh 500 million in the 2024/25 FY for value addition of these scheduled crops,” said the Head of State.

The Monday night meeting comes after the Counties of Mombasa and Kilifi banned the transportation, distribution, sale, and use of Muguka in totality.

The Governors of Mombasa and Embu counties had reached a consensus on the urgent need for the regulation of Miraa and Muguka amidst growing concerns over the detrimental effects of the stimulant on the youth population.

To curb the rising consumption of the commodity, the duo agreed to establish a committee tasked with addressing contentious issues surrounding muguka trade and consumption.

By Muraya Kamunde