Kambi dismisses allegations on miraa

By Ally Jamah  

NAIROBI, KENYA: Labour Cabinet Secretary Kazungu Kambi told a parliamentary committee that he did not see any evidence of miraa denting sexual performance of men in Meru and Embu Counties during his recent fact-finding trip to the region.

Speaking while presenting a report on Miraa to the Ad Hoc committee on Miraa, Kambi dismissed claims that miraa significantly cuts male libido and leads to high rates of divorce in miraa growing areas of Meru and Embu.

“I did not see evidence to support those claims. On the contrary I saw many children around. That means that men are still performing,” he said amid laughter.

“Even some of the ladies I interacted with said that the performance of their miraa-chewing husbands has not deteriorated. So those who want miraa banned on the basis of reduced sexual performance should stop peddling myths,” he added.

Kambi’s comments were enthusiastically supported by Tigania East MP Mburi Apuri who claimed that he is a living example that miraa does not dent a man’s sexual prowess.

He said that he has been consuming the crop for many years but his several wives have never complained of his performance while discharging his conjugal duties.

“I have at least 16 children by now and if miraa was bad, I would not be performing by now. The Britons who have banned miraa recently don’t even know that miraa actually boosts sexual performance rather than reduce it,” he claimed.

The Cabinet secretary made the field visits to igembe North (Meru County) and Siakago (Embu) on 14th and 15th of this month in order to prepare a report for the Parliamentary committee that is led by Meru County Women Representative Florence Kajuju.  

He met  with major stakeholders in the miraa industry including farmers, traders as well as local elected leaders, who shared their views on whether miraa should be banned in the country or not.

Kambi sharply criticised the National Authority for Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada) for allegedly “misleading” Kenyans by suggesting that miraa is a drug allegedly without having the scientific evidence to back up the claim. He termed miraa as a “stimulant” and not a “drug”

He added that the Child labour problem associated with miraa growing is also a problem in other sectors such as tea and coffee and said appropriate legislation and policies should be enforced to tackle the vice rather than banning miraa.

In his report, Kambi said that banning the crop would be suicidal and that miraa infact needs official government recognition as  a major cash crop that earns the country at least Sh2billion annually.

Deputy President William Ruto is expected to visit miraa growing area in Embu and Meru at the end of this week to reassert the government support for miraa.