Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir has rebuffed opponents who argue that his prohibition on the muguka variety of khat in the coastal county harms the economic well-being of central region farmers.
Nassir stated that the stimulant has been causing Mombasa young to become addicted for years and that politicians must confront the issue.
“Someone had to do something; something had to be done,” the governor said, adding, “It is not fair or right that we have to live in a situation where our destiny is to die so that someone else can live.”
Since Nassir issued the ban in Mombasa County, the adjoining coastal county of Kwale has joined the fight against muguka and miraa by imposing higher charges on the products.
Governor Nassir says that his administration would not take a similar step and that he is not interested in collecting taxes from muguka.
“In our Finance Act, it is Ksh.6,000 per bag of muguka and instead of having another charge, we preferred to keep it at Ksh.6,000 until the matter is determined. Assuming a truck carries about 300 bags… I’d be better off without that Ksh.1.8 million,” the governor said in the interview.
Due to planned taxes in the county finance bill, Muguka shopkeepers in Kwale would suffer levies of up to more than 100%.
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