Relief for Kenyan Miraa Farmers as Somalia Lift the Ban

Miraa farmers are set to start exporting the commodity to Somalia in two weeks following the lifting of the two-year ban imposed by the Somali government.

Direct flights between the two countries would also resume from next Tuesday in a move that would enable the crop to be flown directly from Isiolo airport.

“We want to thank President Uhuru Kenyatta for the diplomatic negotiations he has been carrying out quietly. The ban had greatly affected the economy of Mt Kenya East and the farmers’ earnings,” agriculture CS Peter Munya said.

Somalia had stopped importing khat when international flights were suspended in march 2020 due to fear of the spread of Covid-19. However, the suspension was never lifted as diplomatic issues kicked in. The ban led to a loss of more than 50 tons of Kenyan khat valued at more than 20 million shillings a day.

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The government later said it would lift the ban on the commodity but under several conditions, including Kenya treating Somalia as an equal, desisting from interfering with Somalia’s internal affairs, and apologizing for violating the Somalia airspace.

Also, Kenya was required to allow in goods from Somalia including fish, rice, sugar, honey, meat, and milk, alongside halting the directive that Somalia flights make a detour to Wajir for inspection.

Kenya’s hope to resume exporting miraa to Somalia arose after Hassan Mohamud was elected the president of Somalia.

“As an industry, we are happy that Mohamed Farmaajo has been voted out. The Kenya-Somalia relations worsened during his reign. We hope the channels of dialogue will re-open under president Mohamud,” Nyambene Miraa Traders Association (Nyamita) chairman Kimathi Munjuri said.

The ban had greatly affected the economy of the Mount Kenya region, especially in Meru, where the crop is majorly grown.

Mogadishu has, over the years, grown into a critical market for Kenyan miraa traders accounting for 90 percent of the exports. Other markets include Djibouti, Mozambique, and Malawi.