Legislators to discuss miraa ban on April 8
Locals offload miraa from a vehicle in Mandera on March 17, 2020. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
Mr Mwirigi, who is a member of the National Assembly committee, said he had asked the chairman Mr Adan Haji to convene the meeting following protests by miraa farmers and traders.
The legislator said the crop employed over two million people across the country and there is need to safeguard the sector.
The National Assembly Committee on Agriculture and Livestock will meet on Wednesday, to deliberate on the current ban on miraa in some counties that has seen truckloads of the stimulant destroyed.
Igembe South MP John Paul Mwirigi said the committee will hold a crisis meeting to discuss why the crop, which was gazetted three years ago, was being barred from certain markets.
The MP said they are concerned that over 100 truckloads of miraa worth millions of shillings have been destroyed mainly in the Coast region.
PROTESTS
Mr Mwirigi, who is a member of the National Assembly committee, said he had asked the chairman Mr Adan Haji to convene the meeting following protests by miraa farmers and traders.
He said that despite getting an assurance from the Interior Ministry that the police would no longer stop and offload miraa, such incidences continued unabated.
Mr Mwirigi said the fight against Covid-19 was being used to persecute miraa farming and claimed there was a campaign to degazette the crop which generates at least Sh500 million per day.
CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
“The government should not hide behind this pandemic [Covid-19] and come clear and explain if they want to ban the crop.
“You cannot say that you are banning miraa because it is enhancing the spread of coronavirus whereas you are not banning other food crops. Miraa is like any other crop, it is like sukuma wiki, cabbage, carrot or cereals that we buy,” he said after touring miraa markets in Igembe region on Saturday.
The legislator said the crop employed over two million people across the country and there is need to safeguard the sector.
Nyambene Miraa Traders Association (Nyamita) Chairman Kimathi Munjuri has announced plans to move to court to seek compensation over the damage caused to the crop in Mombasa, Tana River and Kilifi counties.
OBSERVING HYGIENE
Mr Mwirigi, former Igembe North MP Joseph M’Eruaki and Meru Kanu chairman Erastus Mururu said the move was discriminatory to Meru people since traders and farmers were observing hygiene.
“We talked with the Office of the President and we were promised that police would remove all the barriers but 60 vehicles were offloaded and miraa destroyed in Isiolo, Kilifi and Tana River counties.
Why is the Kenya Revenue Authority also involved in destruction of the crop yet we pay taxes.
“If they are not ready to listen to people of Igembe, I will mobilise my people to boycott any other food products being brought here,” threatened Mr Mwirigi.
