Nairobi County Assembly Members (MCAs) have urged the Nairobi county government to consider shelving miraa traders of monthly levy charges.
Led by nominated MCA Doris Kanario, and other members of county Assembly – mostly from the miraa-growing Meru region – the assembly members reiterated that there was a need for the county government of Nairobi – under the leadership of acting governor Anne Kananu – to consider removing the monthly Ksh.2000 levy charged on every miraa trader.
The leaders further asked for the designated area within Nairobi where their wares would be stored, and be traded.
“The traders usually sell the miraa on roadsides, especially in Pumwani and it is not good for health because of things like dust in such places. The county government should therefore set aside an area to act as a market for them,” said Ms. Kanario.
Ms. Kanario is gearing to run for a county assembly ward seat in California ward I Eastleigh, in Nairobi. She asked the county government of Nairobi to emulate what their Mombasa counterpart did to other miraa traders in the coastal county.
On Monday, the county government of Mombasa, under Governor Hassan Joho, removed cess payment by any miraa trader in the county.
“I would like that (removal of the cess payments) to also be done in Nairobi County. Removing such barriers will help miraa traders and transporters,” she said.
According to Nairobi City County Revenue Act, 2015, miraa outlets are supposed to pay Sh2, 000 every month as a levy for waste collection.
Miraa business has been a thorny issue in the country, and especially during the electioneering period. Politicians have been using it as a political tool to woo the growers and traders of the commodity to earn their votes.
In Meru County, the commodity is highly valued and is considered a cash crop. Anyone who dares play about with its business has always been taken as an enemy of the region.
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