This archive report was first published on 3 August 2020.
Published on August 3, 2020, a women's lobby group in Mombasa, Kenya, has raised concerns about the growing use of Muguka, a substance with significant mental health implications.
The Mombasa Women Empowerment Network, a local organization, has been working to rehabilitate mentally ill individuals from the streets of Mombasa through a community-based project.
According to Amina Abdalla, the group's chairperson, a staggering 80 out of 90 addicts they have treated are more dependent on Muguka than Bhang.
"We were surprised to realize that most of those we treated were actually addicted more to Muguka than Bhang," Abdalla said. "We think it's time the government started taking this Muguka more seriously."
"We were surprised to realise most of those we treated were actually addicted more to muguka than bhang. We think it is time the government started taking this muguka more seriously," — Amina Abdalla, Chairperson, Mombasa Women Empowerment Network
Notably, the County government of Mombasa had previously taken action against Muguka in 2019 by introducing new fees under the Finance Bill, 2019.
