Somali Government Lifts Ban on Kenyan Miraa Imports

The government of Somali has lifted the ban on miraa imports from Kenya that it has issued just one week ago.

The lifting on the ban was done after President Uhuru Kenyatta who had gone for the 28^th IGAD Summit, met for bilateral talks with the Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud.

Among the issues that President Kenyatta discussed with his counterpart form Somali was the miraa ban, which bore fruits at the end as the ban was lifted. The summit was discussing the progress that Somali had made towards entrenching security and stability.

The announcement came as a reprieve to Kenyan miraa farmers who were going to lose the Somali market for the stimulant. The government of Somali banned miraa imports from Kenya after it accused the Governor of Meru Peter Munya of using the trade to break up Somali as a country.

According to Somali Ambassador to Kenya Gamal Hassan, Meru Governor Peter Munya‘s visit to Hargeisa in July had compelled Somalia to ban the trade since he had caused more rift in the region.

After the government of Somali issued the ban last week, Miraa traders had gone on a rampage protesting against the ban by one of their major markets.

President Kenyatta, the first Kenyan Head of State to visit Mogadishu in 30 years, also secured an agreement for Kenya Commercial Bank to open an office in Mogadishu. The special IGAD Summit was also attended by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.