Miraa traders from Meru have said they are ready lose business ties in the diplomatic tiff pitting Kenya and Somalia. In a statement, Nyambene Miraa Trade Association (NYAMITA) said they were strongly opposed to any idea supporting sacrifice of Kenya’s sovereignty and territorial integrity just to cushion miraa business.
The traders were responding to a claim by Kenya that Somalia had auctioned its oil and gas blocks located in the Indian Ocean to the UK. The deal was allegedly struck in London on Thursday, February 7. “We in the miraa industry can’t urge our government to sacrifice our sovereignty and territorial integrity to save our trade with Somalia,” read part of a strongly worded statement released on Sunday, February 17.
According to the traders, they were already under torment from stringent laws Somalia had slapped miraa imports from Kenya. They further claimed that their market base had shrunk since the sister country introduced cheaper miraa from Ethiopia. “With this new disclosure, things are now adding up because out of the blues, in the recent two months or so, we, in the miraa industry have been hit by several shocks by the governments of Somalia.
It is clear there has been a build up that has culminated into the current status. In Mogadishu too the Somalia government has already brought in cheaper Khat imports from Ethiopia at lower tax to tame our miraa’s dominance in favour of Ethiopia,” they charged.