In a recent opinion piece published in ‘The Conversation’ Neil Carrier analyses the recent policy developments in Kenya where ‘muguka’, a variety of khat, was banned in Mombasa County in May 2024 by its governor Abdulswamad Nassir using his executive powers.
The article highlights the ramifications of such a ban on Kenyan politics and the livelihoods of many people who depend on khat for a living. Neil concludes that a ‘khat ban would likely be similarly ineffective in curbing consumption, as was an attempted khat ban by the British in colonial times’. further, he argues for a balanced form of khat regulation, which he acknowledges won’t be easy. His point is that ‘this is a more pragmatic approach to dealing with khat than the utopian idea that a ban would simply eradicate the stimulant from society’.