Meru leaders oppose Nacada bid to set miraa chewing hours
A miraa trader at Kianga market in Imenti Central, Meru County. The conference will deliberate new evidence on the health issues associated with Miraa consumption. PHOTO | PHOEBE OKALL | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Mr Mututho had suggested that miraa be chewed only between 5pm and 11pm and not throughout the day as is currently the case.
- Igembe Central MP Kubai Kiringo said that by giving this suggestion Nacada was still holding the view that miraa was a drug.
- Mr Kiringo said that they were waiting for the President to assent to a Bill that seeks to recognise miraa as one of the cash crops in Kenya.
- The leaders asked Mr Mututho to first deal with the problem of illicit brews.
Leaders from Meru County have opposed a suggestion by the National Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada) chairman Mr John Mututho to set specific hours for chewing miraa.
Mr Mututho had suggested that miraa be chewed only between 5pm and 11pm and not throughout the day as is currently the case.
Igembe Central MP Kubai Kiringo said that by giving this suggestion Nacada was still holding the view that miraa was a drug.
He said that no leader, trader or miraa farmer would heed this suggestion and, therefore, if he was to arrest those who would go against it, then he should be prepared to arrest all the people of Meru.
He said that miraa was not like food, which requires to be placed on the table and eaten for a specified period of time, or even alcohol, whose drinkers take it for some time and when drunk, they retire to bed.
NO RESTRICTIONS
He instead said that there were no restrictions when it came to chewing miraa, saying it could be taken while one was walking, travelling in vehicles, working and even when resting.
He said that there was no drug that could be used this way.
“Miraa is not a drug. One can take it while doing some other things and still succeed in the same. Can one take alcohol while travelling or working?
“Mututho should be told that no one is ready to obey that kind of law and therefore he should be prepared to arrest all of us,” he said.
RECOGNISE AS CASH CROP
On the other hand, Mr Kiringo said that they were waiting for the President to assent to a Bill that seeks to recognise miraa as one of the cash crops in Kenya.
When that time comes, he said, it will be easier to defend the product when issues such as those being raised by Mr Mututho arise.
Nyambene Miraa Traders’ Association coordinator Jakubu Miriti said that the farmers and traders were contemplating withdrawing their support for the Jubilee government as it was not helping them to protect their sources of income.
He said that Mr Mututho should instead deal with illicit brews, which he said were killing many young people in the country, and leave miraa alone.
"Who has ever been admitted to hospital or even died because of chewing miraa? Let him leave us alone,” he said.
