Governor Passes Finance Bill Increasing Taxes On Muguka By Over 100 Times
Sellers will now be required to pay Ksh50,000 to be licensed to sell muguka and miraa, a jump of five times from the previous Ksh10,000.
Viral Tea Ke Writer 
The Kwale County government has passed the 2024/25 Finance Bill which provides for hefty taxes on muguka and miraa, a scenario that will hit traders of the leafy stimulants hard.
Kwale Governor Fatuma Achani assented to the Bill which brings about tough measures aimed at regulating the sale and consumption of the stimulants, whose main market in Kenya can be traced to the counties of Embu and Meru.
Kwale County Director of Communications, Nicky Gitonga, explained that the move will safeguard the health and well-being of youth in the county as raising the taxes could prevent them from easily purchasing the drug.
Kwale Governor Fatuma Achani in Matuga on Friday, August 12, 2022. /THE STAR
"Lowering taxes can lead to increased consumption of harmful substances, which could have detrimental effects on the health of younger generations. It's crucial to maintain these taxes to ensure that youths receive proper education and awareness about the risks associated with substance abuse," Gitonga said on behalf of Governor Achani.
In the bill, Kwale County has increased levies by over 100 per cent on traders of muguka and miraa conducting the trade in the coastal county.
Sellers will now be required to pay Ksh50,000 to be licensed to sell muguka and miraa, a jump of five times from the previous Ksh10,000.
Muguka transporters using lorries or motorcycles will also bear the brunt of increased taxes, with fees rising from Ksh3,000 to Ksh30,000 for motorcycle transport and Ksh300,000 for lorries weighing 15 tonnes.
County authorities in collaboration with the County Assembly and County Attorney Salim Gombeni have been asked to implement additional regulations to further restrict the sale and distribution of the stimulants.
Kwale Police Commissioner Stephen Orinde said security would be heightened at all entry points to prevent the illegal transportation of muguka.
"All these measures are to ensure young children have no access to the stimulant so they can focus on their education," he said, noting that some join gangs to make money to support their addictions.
Kwale is among the hotspot counties for muguka consumption, hence the controls aimed at mitigating the adverse effects of the crop's widespread availability.
These regulations will therefore prohibit the sale of muguka in areas such as school peripheries, religious spaces and local markets. Instead, designated areas will be established for the trade, with specific pickup points designated for muguka arrivals.
The enforcement of the new regulations will commence on Monday. Achani's government tightened rules around the stimulants as a debate raged on, following a ban by Mombasa, Kilifi, and Taita Taveta counties, but heavy criticism followed, especially from growers and traders.
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