Coast governors turn down Ruto’s invite to discuss muguka ban
Governors from six counties in the Coast region have turned down an invitation from President William Ruto to discuss their strict regulation of the miraa and muguka business, which includes banning the products in three of the counties.
The governors, led by Jumuiya ya Kaunti za Pwani chairman Gideon Mung’aro, said they had received an invitation from State House Nairobi to meet with their counterparts from Meru, Tharaka Nithi and Embu to deliberate on the muguka issue.
But Mr Mung’aro, who is Kilifi governor along with Abdulswamad Nassir (Mombasa), Andrew Mwadime (Taita Taveta), Fatuma Achani (Kwale), Dhado Godhana (Tana River) and Issa Timmamy (Lamu), said they would not attend the meeting until they had held a consultative forum with all stakeholders in the Coast, including health experts, civil society and religious leaders.
In May, governors Nassir, Mung’aro and Mwadime (Mombasa, Kilifi and Taita Taveta) banned muguka in their counties. However, the ban was overturned by the Embu High Court.
Others, like Ms Achani, imposed hefty fees on the muguka trade.
For weeks, the governors, together with the Coast parliamentary group, have been pushing for a one-on-one meeting with the Head of State.
This came after President Ruto met with the Embu County leadership led by Governor Cecily Mbarire, following the ban of muguka by three counties in the Coast region and the allocation of Sh500 million in the 2024/25 financial year for value addition to the planned crop.
At the meeting, President Ruto faulted the Coast governors for banning muguka, saying the crop was legal in Kenya.
Muguka, a variety of miraa, is a scheduled crop under the Crops Act 2013 and the Miraa Regulations 2023.
However, Coast politicians from across the political divide, including ODM, UDA and PAA, accused President Ruto of discrimination after meeting with Embu leaders following the muguka ban. In Kwale, Governor Achani introduced high taxes.
On Sunday evening, the leaders met in Mombasa and announced that they would not meet the Head of State.
“We thank President Ruto for inviting us to discuss the muguka issue but after further consultations with our MPs and Senators, we have decided to decline the offer. We ask the President to pardon us, we won’t be meeting him this Tuesday because we want to ensure that we discuss this issue thoroughly with Coast stakeholders before meeting him at a later date,” said Mr Mung’aro.
He defended the move, saying the Coast leadership wanted to involve all stakeholders affected by the stimulants.
The Kilifi County boss however promised to meet President Ruto after holding a meeting with Coast leaders, religious leaders and other stakeholders on Friday next week.
“After our consultative meeting, we will be ready to meet President Ruto to discuss this matter affecting our society,” he added.
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