Tuesday, May 28, 2024 – President William Ruto has stepped in to save Muguka farmers after 3 counties banned the transportation and the sale of the crop.
Speaking after meeting Muguka
farmers, Ruto directed Agriculture officials to hold consultative meetings and
address concerns raised by Muguka farmers with immediate
effect.
And in what appears to be the
escalating fallout between Ruto and his Deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, the Head of
State held a meeting with leaders of Embu Counties, including Governor Cecily
Mbarire, and lawmakers at State House on Monday evening without Gachagua who
carries himself as Mt. Kenya kingpin.
After the meeting, Ruto
confirmed that Muguka was a scheduled crop and noted that
Ksh500 million had been allocated towards its farming in the 2024/2025
Financial Year.
"I have held a productive
meeting with the leaders of Embu County on the recent ban on Muguka.
We have agreed that miraa/muguka being a scheduled
crop, a meeting be convened to discuss the issue," Ruto stated.
"Consequently, I have
directed the Ministry of Agriculture to convene a forum of all parties and
stakeholders concerned."
The consultative meetings are
expected to offer an agreement on the implementation of the Miraa/Mũguka Regulations
2023.
"The future of Miraa/Muguka is
in scaling up farming, aggregation, grading, pricing, packaging and value
addition of the crop," read a statement from State House.
"For this reason, the
government has committed KSh500 million in the 2024/25 Financial Year for value
addition of these scheduled crops."
Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi,
during the meeting, had confirmed that Muguka was a scheduled
crop whose regulations had been passed by the National Assembly and the Senate.
The meeting, therefore,
concluded that any other law, including the ban, that contradicted national
legislation was null and void.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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