The governor of Mombasa County, H. E Abdullswamad Sherrif Nassir, has banned the sale, consumption, and supply of muguka.

The governor issued orders to block all motor vehicles carrying khat from entering the county. He also directs the closure of all outlets including retail and wholesale selling and distributing muguka in Mombasa.

According to Nassir, muguka traders have disregarded laws safeguarding the sale of this drug to minors. The county executive claims that some traders even sell khat to minors at a cheap cost, exposing them to health risks.

Nassir says that they have tried to regulate the use of muguka to ensure users and the larger community can coexist but the traders have yet to follow the regulations. The move comes a week after the county banned the sale of Miraa and muguka near schools.

The governor confirms that he initiated the ban after legal consultation, which found the move to be in order. The consultation with the National Authority for the Campaign for Drug Abuse (Nacada) gave a green light to the move to ban muguka in the county.

In his speech at Port Reitz Hospital, the governor highlights the health effects of muguka among consumers.

The basis is that the levels of cathine and cathinone in muguka is very high level. An average of about 20 leaves is enough to make someone have toxic imaginations. Imagine a child consuming this during school hours, Nassir.

His statement adds that the consumption of this drug is likely to cause mental health issues and disability.

A person chewing Muguka

Leads to devastating health, social, economic and environmental consequences and places burdens on minors, families, the poor and county health systems, the statement reads.

The Ban on muguka is a huge relief to some MCAs in the county who have been pushing for it since 2018. The Mombasa Woman Representative, Zamzam Mohamed Chimba, is also among politicians who had vowed to have muguka banned and Miraa strictly regulated to protect the children and youth in the county.

Other bodies including Mombasa clergy and Muslim scholars have also been at the forefront of pushing for the ban of this stimulant.

Muguka’s ban in Mombasa is no doubt a big blow to traders who have been pushing for better terms for the sale of the drug. The traders went ahead to sue the county governor for what they termed as ‘unfair’ tax laws. The court, however, declined to suspend the levies imposed on them.