Miraa being ferried from Meru to Nairobi for sale on June 21,
2013.MPs Diriye Abdullahi Mohamed (Wajir South) and Mohamed Shidiye
(Lagdera) now want the government to follow in the footsteps of UK and
ban both production and consumption of miraa in the country. . Photo/
File
Monday, July 15, 2013
Two MPs have thrown their weight behind UK’s decision to ban miraa and now wants the Kenyan government to do the same.
MPs
Diriye Abdullahi Mohamed (Wajir South) and Mohamed Shidiye (Lagdera)
now want the government to follow in the footsteps of UK and ban both
production and consumption of miraa in the country.
They said miraa is a drug and should be taken as such and a ban imposed on it.
“Miraa
is in the league of cocaine and heroine and is a drug whose production
and consumption should be banned in this country,” said Mr Diriye.
“This
substance has no nutritional value and we commend the UK government for
the decision they took to impose a ban on it,” he added.
The British
Government imposed a ban on miraa two weeks ago much to the chagrin of
leaders from Meru region where the stimulant is grown.
However, the
two MPs urged miraa farmers to train their sights on other crops that
have nutritional value saying they can never be any economic
justification for the harmful effects of the stimulant.
“Miraa is
associated with several social ills including laziness, family break-ups
and addiction and there cannot be any justification whatsoever for
these ills,” Mr Shidiye said.
They argued that the National Authority
for Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada) has classified the
crop as a drug and that the government should now act by banning its
consumption altogether.
“We ought to learn to respect our national agencies and act on their recommendations,” they said.
He said North Eastern region continues to bear the greatest brunt of miraa even more that the region from where it is produced.