This archive report was first published on 8 June 2020.
On June 8, 2020, a letter was sent to Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya by Meru Senator Mithika Linturi and five MPs, calling for the transfer of the Miraa Fund to the Commodity Fund.
The letter, signed by Nyambene Miraa Traders Association (Nyamita) chairperson Kimathi Munjuri, proposed that the money allocated for the Miraa Fund in the 2019-2020 financial year be transferred to the Commodity Fund.
Under this proposal, Saccos would be able to borrow, disburse, and recover the monies from their members using the Commodity Fund.
However, it has emerged that officials from Kilimo House in Nairobi were mobilizing miraa stakeholders in Nyambene, claiming that their funds would be channeled to one Sacco.
“Why Kilimo needs to specifically mobilize and train for this one entity is beyond us,” the letter reads.
The letter also expressed concerns that if farmers and traders against the Sacco fronted by the officials from the ministry are sidelined, they will become agitated and cause conflict over the miraa kitty.
