Parents in Mbeere South have decried truancy and rising rates of school dropouts among students due to indulgence in khat commonly known as muguka and miraa.
They are calling on the government to regulate the production and trade of the product to discourage students from handling the drug.
Kenyatta University lecturer, Jane Njoki Muturi, noted that those abandoning school due to the abuse of the drug were increasing despite the intensification of campaigns in secondary schools and colleges.
”Exposure to miraa-related activities led to students dropping out of school, high levels of truancy due to abuse of the drug,” she said.
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However, she noted that some parents encouraged their children to work in khat farms to supplement family earnings at the expense of their education.
“Miraa should be a liberalized drug as well as be regulated by government on use and trade, the crop is good if it is grown for commercial purposes and people should not engage their children in its production,” she said.
By Robert Nyagah
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