Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi has announced plans to gazette the Muguka and Miraa Pricing Committee following a ban on the stimulant in some counties.
Speaking to the press after a tea farmers’ forum at the Rukuriri Tea Factory in Runyenjes, Embu County on Wednesday, CS Linturi emphasized his commitment to addressing the pricing concerns surrounding these crops.
He stated that the committee will be gazetted under the Crop Regulations Act of 2023 by the end of the week.
“By the end of this week, I will be gazetting the Muguka and Miraa Pricing Committee because the issue people are talking about is its cheapness such that it is being accessed by children,” said the minister.
He said the committee will provide guidelines on how the stimulant will be sold, including regulating its prices. Linturi also mentioned plans to engage leaders from Kwale, Mombasa, and Tana River counties, which have either banned or imposed punitive taxes on the crop, for discussions.
“With Embu leaders, we were with President William Ruto at State House Nairobi and we agreed to hold a meeting to deliberate on how muguka trade can continue because it is an authorized crop and we cannot run away from that,” said the CS, describing the levies as unreasonable.
