President William Ruto has issued a stern warning to cartels in the Miraa sector operating in the larger Mt. Kenya region, particularly in Meru, where the crop is predominantly grown.
Speaking in Maua town in Meru County on Wednesday, during the second day of his Mt Kenya tour, Ruto indicated that the government will take radical decisions in dealing with the rings that have often denied farmers the chance to enjoy the fruits of their labour.
According to Ruto, the government was fully committed to the new war on the cartels, aiming to reach similar heights to those achieved in the disbanding of the same elements in the sugar industry.
''I want to tell you that those who have made a ring of miraa cartels, I want to tell them that we only have three things with them. They should either stop the cartels' rings, or we will jail them. The third, should we send them on that 'journey'?'' Ruto stated.
''That is the declaration we are making in Maua that all cartels behind the disruption of miraa trade should consider relocating from Kenya,'' Ruto asserted.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki was assigned the role of ensuring normalcy returns to the miraa industry to ensure farmers accrue maximum benefits from the trade.
This was after Kindiki requested the President to allow him, as the senior most leader from the region, to take on the cartels operating in the trade.
On February 15, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe announced new pricing for miraa, raising the price of Grade 1 from Ksh700 to Ksh1,300.
Similarly, the price of Grade 2 miraa was increased to Ksh700 from the previous retail price of Ksh350, while the cost of Alele miraa was doubled from Ksh500 to Ksh1,000.
Kagwe explained that the decision to increase miraa prices was reached following a meeting held by the Miraa Pricing Formula Committee on February 13 after receiving submissions from farmers.
Meru County, especially the Nyambene Hills, has approximately over 70,000 hectares dedicated to miraa cultivation.
Although miraa is largely consumed in Kenya, Somalia remains a key market, having imported over Ksh6.3 billion worth of the product following the lifting of a two-year ban on Kenyan exports. In 2023, Kenya earned over Ksh11.4 billion from Miraa exports to Somalia.
