This story began in Meru County's Igembe South region, where farmers grow Miraa. Cartels and brokers exploit them by buying their produce without any trade regulations governing prices or taxes.
The cartels and brokers exploit the lack of regulation in the miraa sector by buying the crop from farmers at very low prices, leaving them in a state of desperation. This investigation found that smugglers transporting miraa to Somalia do not pay the government taxes that would generate revenue for Kenya. They use dangerous sea routes and hire captains on a daily basis.
They make billions at the expense of farmers and the government through their smuggling operations. The well-connected Kenyan Somali smugglers coordinate closely with buyers and traders in Somalia. In Lamu, they own high-powered trucks and speedboats, which they use to transport khat through the porous Kiunga border.
Photo credit: © Mary Mwendwa
