0Mombasa clergy have asked the government to ban the sale and consumption of Miraa and Muguka in the country citing it as a main cause of juvenile gangs and a way of protecting children from the effects of drug abuse.
Addressing the media at MEWA Community Centre after an interfaith meeting to present findings from a Situational Assessment on Stimulant use by young people who use drugs in Mombasa and Lamu counties, Hussein Taib from MEWA Health and Harm Reduction said that the stimulant is now sold at market places and near schools making it easy for children to access it.
Taib said the government should not only censor its sale to specific areas but also ban and consider it illegal just like bhang and heroine. Meanwhile, He noted that as per their assessment, school going children of age 10 to 17 years are now using muguka that is sold at around Sh.50 at even market places like Kongowea market.
He said the target was 1000 people and so far, they have got 708. “We started in October and we are still moving on with the programme,” he said adding they have done sensitization with the community, elders and leaders including religious ones.
“We urge the government to ban the sale of muguka near schools and market places. Our children can easily access it when sent to the market to buy foodstuff,” he said.
Moreover, he added, the law clearly outlines the classification of miraa and muguka as drugs and substances.
He warned that muguka can cause madness if consumed uncontrollably with the highest numbers of patients treated at rehabilitation centers being victims of the substance.
His sentiments were echoed by Bishop Geofrey Nyongesa from Nyali who said the drug has affected many educated young people with some having been reported to have psychiatric problems.
Nyongesa said some have refused to eat well claiming that the consumption of miraa and muguka can make one lose appetite. However, he asked the government to check into the matter and asked the businesspeople selling muguka and miraa to look for another business that is not harmful in the society.
He noted that, as an interfaith group, they are going to write a memorandum to the county government to ask for the ban on the sale and consumption of the substance in Mombasa.
“We have started this movement and we will raise our voice countrywide and advocate for the ban of this drug. The new generation is becoming unproductive following the consumption of drugs,” he said.
Fatuma Said, a nursery school teacher who is also a stakeholder in education and community development, said many women have now neglected their duties as mothers since they stay overnight chewing muguka.
She said the drug is now consumed by both men and women making it hard for children to abstain from it. She thus requested the government to use the same method used in fighting illicit brews to end the use of muguka and miraa.
Mombasa county governor Abdulswamad Nassir directed the department of education to collaborate and identify all public and private schools to ensure that no one is allowed to sell miraa or muguka near these institutions.
Nassir issued a stern warning to all those involved in selling drugs near school premises, emphasizing that such activities would no longer be tolerated.
“We will not negotiate on the wellbeing of our children, those selling muguka and other stimulants to school-going-children will meet the full force of the law. There will be an inspection team going around checking on those who will defy,” he said at a past event in Mombasa.
He emphasized on the importance of conducting those businesses in appropriate locations away from areas where children could be exposed.
By Chari Suche
