MOMBASA, Kenya – The government has unveiled plans to register miraa farmers and traders under cooperative societies in a bid to enhance accountability, streamline the trade, and reduce theft in the multibillion-shilling sector.
Speaking at a stakeholder forum in Mombasa on Monday, September 1, 2025, Cooperatives Principal Secretary Patrick Kilemi said the new framework will allow better tracking of the crop’s movement across the country while giving farmers more bargaining power.
“We want to work with these groups so that we can control the supply side of miraa through cooperatives. If production is high, we can manage it. While we have no control over demand, we can regulate supply,” Kilemi said.
The PS noted that a cooperative structure would make monitoring and record-keeping more efficient, help curb diversion during transport, and strengthen the crop’s marketing strategy, including expansion to new export markets.
Leaders from Meru County, Kenya’s main producer of miraa, welcomed the move but urged the government to provide financial and technical support to farmers to ensure sustainability.
Tigania East MP M’puru Aburi warned against mismanagement of the cooperatives, citing past failures in the tea sector.
“We have seen problems with cooperatives in tea farming, where produce sometimes goes missing during transit. As leaders, we are asking that such mistakes are not repeated in the miraa sector,” he said, stressing that farmers’ earnings must be safeguarded.
Miraa remains a major source of livelihood in Meru and neighbouring counties, supporting thousands of farmers, traders, and transporters.
However, the industry continues to grapple with unstable prices, market restrictions, and export hurdles.
The Ministry of Cooperatives says the new system is designed to reduce losses, improve transparency, and create a sustainable supply chain that benefits all players in the miraa economy.
