Residents of Meru County in Eastern Kenya have something to now smile about following president Uhuru’s intervention that saw Somalia lift the ban imposed on miraa imports from Kenya.

According to a statement from state house, flights transporting miraa from Kenya to Somalia will resume September 14, 2016.

“The agreement was reached at a meeting between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud in Mogadishu,” said the statement.

Somalia banned miraa imports from Kenya last week on Tuesday under unclear circumstances although Somali Ambassador to Kenya later on went ahead to blame the action on indecent remarks by Meru Governor Munya. 

The ban was a blow to miraa farmers, since the crop is their main source of livelihood and Somalia has been their key market following a ban on the crop by European countries, which regards miraa as a drug.

Early this year, President Uhuru sets out a Ksh. 1billion kitty to cushion miraa farmers and declared it a cash crop.

Kenyatta is on visit to Mogadishu for extraordinary IGAD summit being hosted by Somalia for the first time in 30 years, he has also become the first Kenyan head of state to visit Somalia in the last 30 years.