The far-reaching impacts from the ban on miraa by the UK government have extended to the learning sector.
According to a new study, students and pupils in Nyambene, Meru County, are now staying away from schools due to lack of school fees.
Although not directly linked to the ban on miraa, the study commissioned by Act Change Transformation (ACT), indicated that learning had been hit, since most parents who depended on earnings from the sale of the crop had been left with little income.
Most parents have therefore been left with the daunting task to retain their children in school, with some withdrawing them.
The survey supported by the British High Commission noted that Nyambene area was the most affected.
It added that the illiteracy level in Nyambene was above 40 per cent - the highest in the county.
Most parents were also said to have opted to transfer their children from private schools to public schools, where education was cheaper.
The United Kingdom was one of the largest markets for Kenyan miraa until last year, when it imposed a ban on the crop after declaring it a class C drug.
