Players across the value chain of stimulant crop Muguka have a sigh  of relief following the withdrawal of a legislative proposal that sought to deal a body blow to the business.

This follows a decision by Kilifi North MP Owen Baya to withdraw a contentious legislative proposal that he sponsored, seeking to drop muguka from the list of scheduled crops under Kenya’s Crops Act 2013. Accordingly, the deletion of the stimulant crop from the Act would have effectively eliminated any government protection and support which it currently enjoys, leaving thousands of producers and traders exposed.

In a statement on Wednesday, June 4, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki said the lawmaker has agreed to drop the Bill, which sought to delist Muguka from the list of scheduled crops.

“Following the request from Embu County elected leaders, met Hon Owen Baya, sponsor of the private member’s bill that sought to delete Cathus edulis (Muguuka) from the Schedule to the Crops Act. The Hon Baya has graciously accepted to drop his legislative proposal,” DP Kindiki stated.

Muguka is a low-cost variant of khat (Catha edulis) grown in Embu, Meru and Tharaka-Nithi counties. Derived from the same plant, muguka consists of the leaves while the pricier version, miraa, includes the stems and the leaves.

The Crops Act, enacted in 2013, provides for the certification, regulation, and support of scheduled crops across their value chains to ensure industry standards and quality. The proposed Bill aimed to amend the Crops Act, Cap 318, sought to differentiate muguka from miraa (khat), and explicitly exclude the former from the list of scheduled crops.

If ratified, the bill would have effectively removed legal protection and state support for muguka, jeopardizing the livelihoods of thousands of farmers who rely on the crop, particularly in regions like Embu as it would see county governments to regulate or ban muguka without national oversight, as delisting would strip it of recognition under national legislation.

But this was not the first time that the member of parliament proposed a bill against muguka and then had a change of heart.

The Kilifi North MP filed a notice to the National Assembly seeking to reclassify Muguka in July last year, where he argued that the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act 2022 had classified muguka and miraa as psychotropic substances. He later withdrew the bill only to reintroduce it in May 2025.

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