Those who comes often to Kenya, and especially the coastal strip and its tourist destinations, have become familiar with the customs, traditions and habits of the local population, including in the area of food and drink, as well as the use of substances that are not illegal in Kenya but are part of the customs, especially of the poor people to 'get by' or feel less the burden of a life without comforts.
One knows mnazi, for example, which is a distillate from the seeds of coconuts, also known as 'palm wine'. Consumed freshly distilled from the plant, it is a deceiving alcoholic beverage that should be drunk in small quantities, but if left to ferment it can become, especially for the unaccustomed and the young, a real poison, for the mind and liver.
Very common is miraa (on the coast also known as 'marungi', in East Africa it is 'khat'), a herb whose stem is a natural stimulant with amphetamine properties. It is used by night watchmen to stay awake, by truck drivers and bus drivers, with effects that are not exactly helpful to society, because abuse can cause hyperactivity and consequent stress. The miraa grows in the mountains, the one in the Mount Kenya area is particularly prized and in demand even in Somalia, and generates a huge turnover.
In Europe it is banned and its export is illegal.

Few, however, have heard of 'muguka', another leaf that is also cultivated on the coast. It is a low, bushy plant from the same family as khat and has similar stimulating, if chewed for a long time, and even slightly hallucinogenic properties. For a long time, it was used by the mijikenda women who worked in the fields in order not to feel tired and to be more cheerful.
The new generations, on the other hand, chew muguka in large quantities, and even take infusions of it, mainly to go on raids or to dance and have fun all night long, with disastrous consequences for their mental health and immediately for their responsiveness to work or study during the day. The risk is to create a movement of young zombies who take advantage of the low cost of muguka.
On the other hand, local farmers admit that they now earn almost three times more by growing this mild drug instead of food crops, but the Kilifi County government now fears that farmers will create an imbalance between muguka and food production. Some have even abandoned maize crops, which is the main livelihood of those who have land but no money, to sell muguka, which is more profitable.

A few days ago Kilifi County Governor Gideon Mung'aro promised to ban muguka consumption in the county, citing its harmful effects, especially on young people.
"The price of these stimulant herbs is affordable for many," Mung'aro explained, "and young people are increasingly addicted, despite the fact that they carry a number of health risks. Miraa and its derivations do much more harm than mnazi, the trade in which must in any case be regulated'.
While in the north of the country the battle is against ethanol-based artisanal spirits, which have killed and still kill dozens of people every month, partly because miraa continues to be too important an economic resource, the governor of Kilifi wants to start with grass.
"As a county we have no problem when people bring and sell miraa, but in Kilifi County, I will ban Muguka! Come rain or shine," said Mung'aro.