Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire has come out strongly against a proposed parliamentary bill seeking to outlaw muguka, vowing to defend the crop and the farmers who depend on it for their livelihoods.
Governor Mbarire was reacting to a bill tabled by Kilifi North MP Owen Baya, which brands muguka as harmful and calls for its ban. During a passionate address to the residents of Embu, the Governor dismissed the claims and reaffirmed the county’s economic reliance on the stimulant crop.
“An MP has tabled a bill in Parliament saying muguka is poisonous and bad. But as the people of Embu, we believe muguka and miraa are the same. In fact, muguka is miraa—it’s just that we call it muguka,” she said.
Governor Mbarire appealed directly to President William Ruto, urging him not to assent to the bill even if it passes through Parliament.
“Mr. President, please don’t sign that bill. We promised our people that muguka would be listed as a scheduled crop like miraa. That promise remains unfulfilled. We are now in our third year,” Mbarire added.
She further called for scientific integrity in the assessment of muguka’s effects, proposing that the crop be tested in government laboratories rather than private institutions.
“We want muguka taken to government labs—not private ones—so that we are told the truth about what’s in muguka. We will not accept hearsay.”
The Embu Governor insisted that muguka farmers should not be criminalized or stigmatized, and challenged the legitimacy of the bill, questioning whether comprehensive research had been conducted to justify banning the crop.
“We know research was already done on muguka, and it was concluded to be a good crop. So why are we being told otherwise—and by someone who doesn’t understand the crop or our region?”
In a final show of defiance, Governor Mbarire warned MP Owen Baya that Embu County had “declared war” on the bill and would not allow the economic lifeline of thousands to be cut off.
“We also have the right, like other Kenyans, to grow scheduled crops. We are ready to fight this battle.”
Mbarire’s strong remarks are the latest in a growing national debate on the regulation of muguka—a strain of miraa (khat)—widely grown and consumed in Embu and parts of eastern Kenya.
