RADP / Pulse Kenya  >  News

Illegal shipment worth Ksh25 million burnt

Authors:

Mumbi Mutuko

Shipment burned to avoid the spread of coronavirus

Illegal shipment worth Ksh25 million burned
Illegal shipment worth Ksh25 million burned

An illegal consignment nabbed by Kenya Navy officers patrolling the Indian Ocean has been burned.

Recommended articles

Reports have indicated that authorities torched 70 sacks of miraa worth an approximate value of Ksh25 million as part of efforts to fight the spread of Covid-19.

The miraa was reportedly being smuggled to Somalia before it was intercepted.

Drastic measures were taken in Somalia and Kenya where authorities have been shutting down markets nationwide, impacting the movement of goods, including khat.

Miraa export banned
Miraa export banned Pulse Live Kenya

Illegal export

The navy officers handed the consignment over to the Kenya Coast Guard Service who then set it ablaze at Kitau beach on the Manda Island.

Last month officials banned the export of miraa saying that because khat is picked and moved by hand, it could be a vector for coronavirus.

Miraa is a wildly popular herbal stimulant in Somalia that is said to increase energy, deepen focus and suppress appetite.

However, Kenyan miraa still reaches Mogadishu but has to be illegally brought in by skiffs from the coastal town of Kismayu

Authors:

Mumbi Mutuko

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:

Email: news@pulselive.co.ke