Meru High Court suspends Muguka ban in Mombasa and Kilifi districts

The governors of Mombasa and Kilifi suffered a major blow after the Meru High Court prevented them from implementing their orders banning the sale and transportation of muguka in their regions. The case was heard on Tuesday, May 28.

The move followed a request by Kutherema Muguka Sacco and the Embu County Assembly seeking interim injunctions to prevent the two governors from enforcing the trade ban in Muguka.

Judge Lucy Njuguna granted interim injunctions restraining the defendants or their agents from interfering with the muguka trade on the coast.

She said the court was convinced that the application had to be dealt with with the necessary urgency.

It decided that the implementing regulations issued on May 22 should be put on hold until July 8, when the case will be heard inter partes.

The judge ordered that the governors be served with the injunction documents within seven days.

The farmers of Muguka followed the order and celebrated that justice had been done.

“We welcome the winter garden orders, it is a victory for us,” said one of the farmers at the Muraru Muguka market in Mbeere South.

The farmers had previously complained that the move had ruined their businesses and vowed to continue fighting until Mombasa Governor Abduliswamad Sharif Nassir and his Kilifi counterpart lifted the ban.

Meanwhile, the governors of Mombasa, Kilifi and Taita-Taveta have agreed to participate in the Ministry of Agriculture-led talks on the muguka trade.

This happened after a telephone conversation with President William Ruto, the State House said.

“President William Ruto on Tuesday spoke on the phone with the governors of Mombasa, Kilifi and Taita-Taveta counties to discuss their concerns over the Muguka sale. The three governors have agreed to attend a stakeholders’ meeting this week to be convened by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock,” a statement posted on the president’s social media platforms said.

The phone call was a follow-up to a meeting on Monday between President Ruto and the Embu County leadership led by the governor.

“We subsequently agreed to convene a meeting of the political leaders of the affected counties next week,” the president said.

A kilogram of Muguka sells for 300 to 600 shillings and farmers make a fortune from its cultivation.

Additional reporting by Phyllis Nyambura