Hatutaki! Coast clergy defend ban on muguka use

Muslim and Christian leaders in Kilifi county have united and denounced the sale and use of muguka within the county even after President William Ruto on Monday said any purported ban of the stimulant is null and void.

The clergy cited, among other effects, alleged impotence and erectile dysfunction as reasons they don’t want the continued use of the stimulant within Kilifi and the entire Coast region.

The men of the cloth who spoke in Kilifi told Governor Gideon Mung’aro and his Mombasa counterpart Abdulswamad Nassir not to be cowed or be intimidated after they banned muguka in their counties.

“Muguka is being sold openly, primary school children are buying it for just Sh20. And we have spoken to muguka users and they have confessed that they can’t function in bed, they celebrated when Mung’aro imposed the ban,” Thomas Kalala, Bishop Jesus Care Centre said.

“We have people who have said their marriages have broken and they have said instead of having a woman because it costs money, it’s better to use muguka and disable the engine,” he added.

Mung'aro issued an Executive Order on May 23 banning the entry, transportation, distribution, sale, and use of muguka within Kilifi county, a day after Nassir had imposed a similar ban in Mombasa.

“I therefore, with immediate effect, issue a directive to all the Kilifi County enforcement officers through the Directorate of Enforcement to ensure the order is enforced in totality,” Mung’aro said.

A day earlier, Nassir had said henceforth, no motor vehicles carrying muguka would be allowed into Mombasa.

Nassir further directed all outlets, retail or wholesale selling or distributing the products, to be closed immediately.

“The county departments are directed to enforce this order without exception,” he said, adding that he had reached the decision in consultation with the National Authority for the Campaign for Drug Abuse (Nacada).

The double bans sparked uproar from Meru leaders who said the decision was ill-informed and alleged trade sabotage.

Embu Deputy Governor Justus Mugo said they would move to court seeking to have the ban reversed on grounds that there’s no significant difference between muguka and miraa.

On Tuesday, the High Court in Embu set aside the double bans imposed by Kilifi and Mombasa counties pending interpartes hearing of the case on July 28.

"The court is satisfied that the applicants deserve to be granted conservatory orders at this preliminary exparte stage," ruled Justice L Njuguna.

"The application be served upon the respondents within seven days from today."

The ongoing debacle got the attention of President Ruto who on Monday met the leadership of Embu county led by Governor Cecil Mbarire at State House, Nairobi.

During the meeting, Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi informed the meeting that muguka is a variety of Miraa and is a scheduled crop in accordance with the Crops Act 2013 and the Miraa Regulations 2023.

“With muguka having been recognized by national legislation, any other laws or order that contradicts national legislation is null and void,” Ruto said and directed the Agriculture Ministry to convene a consultative forum to address concerns raised and agree on the implementation of the two pieces of legislation.

 But the religious leaders said illicit brew has been banned in other parts of the country with Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua leading the onslaught, muguka should not be forced upon people who have said they don’t want it.

“The deputy president is fighting illicit brew that is destroying the youth in other parts and you did not protest, here in Kilifi, we are saying we don’t want muguka,” Bishop Kalala said.

“Even if you go to court, we don’t want it.”

His sentiments were echoed by James Chigodi, Bishop at the New Life Centre Ministries.

“If muguka is something you love, sell it amongst yourselves. You are saying your children have no issue, sell it amongst yourselves but we don’t want it at the Coast because it has destroyed our children.

“If our government has said we don’t want it, why do you want to sell it to us by force?” he posed.

Anti-drugs ambassador Famau Famau challenged muguka growing regions in the country who have cited economic sabotage to shift to cultivating other crops whose sale and use won’t cause conflict.

“Instead of growing muguka and miraa, grow tea and coffee. These are crops that do well in those regions,” he said.

“If they bring those to us we will buy them.”

Kilifi Sheikh Badi Islam said they have united with their Christian counterparts to denounce the sale and use of muguka in Kilifi county in one voice and challenged leaders from other Coastal counties to equally denounce the use of the plant.

Kheikh Ustadh Khamis said governors will not be able to perform their duties if the youth they rely on for work lies prostate because of drug use.

“For governors to work well, they must have people with good health, people who are in the right form of mental state,” he said.

“So we all support the ban imposed by governors Mung’aro and Abdulswamad to ban muguka and they should not relent.”