Hassan Omar on Urgent Call to Amend Muguka Law to Prevent its Legalisation
The Coast Parliamentary Group (CPG) addressing the media during a briefing the session after a closed-door meeting held at PrideInn Hotel in Mombasa county. They threw their weigh behind the ban of muguka in the coast region. [Photo/ Tobby Otum]
There is an urgent need to change muguka law against it becoming legalized. East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP Hassan Omar Sarai insisted the law to legalize it is bad and things need to be changed.
He pointed out if they were able to change the constitution nothing can stop them from changing the law to protect muguka.
“The law to protect muguka is bad and deserves to be changed,” he insisted.
Sarai stated that if the law is bad it is bad and there is nothing to bargain about it. He was addressing the media during a Coast Parliamentary Group (CPG) briefing session after a closed-door meeting held at Pride Inn Hotel in Mombasa county.
The EALA legislature told the media as things stand today muguka is bad, a new research has revealed. Sarai added that Muguka is illegal in law after what is revealed by the new research report required a change.
He insisted muguka poses a threat to the society and there is need to change.
“The government had legalized muguka which has turned out to be a poison,” he clarified.
Kisauni lawmaker Rashid Bedzimba said the issue of banning of muguka is not about political parties or religious groups. He insisted the issue at hand is that mugukais is a poison being sold to the youths in the coast region.
“Let us keep ethnic issues out of the ban of muguka in the coast region,” he pointed out.
The lawmaker told the media there is a demand for creation of employment opportunities for the youths to be saved from the muguka menace. Bedzimba said they initially protested against the closure of the Kenya Petroleum Refineries Limited (KPRL) in Changamwe constituency but they were ignored.
He told politicians to stop using threats which might turned out to be a disaster.
“Nobody is fighting any ethnic group in the war against the muguka menace in the region,” he said.
Speaking separately Maji Na Ufanisi Coast Regional Coordinator Hamisa Zaja has warned the government to stop the sell of muguka to residents in the region.
She insisted the ban of the muguka is long over due and it should have happened in 2017 and urged the national government to respect the decision taken by regional governors to ban muguka.
“It’s important for the government to listen to voices in the counties to effect the ban of muguka,” she added.
The non-governmental organization (NGO) officer said the current war is about coast region and muguka stakeholders.
Hamisa Zaja who is winner of the Women Peace Builders Award 2023 Nobel prize added the muguka traders are perceived as enemies of peace.
She said her concern is with the social media trend on the muguka traders in the region.
“The government’s forcing the usage of muguka poses a big threat in the region,” she pointed out.
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