KHAT GROWERS SUFFER FROM KENYA FLIGHT BAN

The ban by Kenyan authorities of all flights to and from Somalia has dealt
a big blow to the lucrative business in the mild stimulant, khat.

Khat growers in Kenya have staged protests, while militiamen in Somalia are
reported to be suffering from withdrawal symptoms.

Kenya last week banned all flights to and from the neighbouring country in
what was described as an anti-terrorist move.

The decision followed last Friday's warning of a possible imminent attack
on the United States embassy in Nairobi.

Affected by the ban are all Somali-owned commercial passenger airlines,
United Nations flights and dozens of small aircraft that ferry the
Kenyan-grown khat.

Piling high

Khat farmers and flight operators are now warning that their livelihood
will suffer if the ban is not lifted soon.

"It has completely brought our business to a halt. It is like flying into a
brick wall at 300mph," said one khat businessman.

"This issue of banning the flights from Kenya to Somalia, and the issue of
terrorism, the whole thing has a political motive from the US and British
governments," another khat businessman complained.

Since Friday thousands of kilogrammes of khat has been piling up in Nairobi
and central Kenya, where the shrub is grown.

Since the ban was imposed farmers and traders have been losing around
$300,000 daily.

Lush hills

The ban is also being felt in the air transport industry.

Captain Himat Vaghela is the managing director of Capital Airlines, one of
the airlines which ferry more than 15,000kg of khat daily to Mogadishu.

"We have three flights which fly to different destinations in Somalia. In
fact we have just bought a new aeroplane worth $1,200,000 financed by the
Barclays Bank, and of course they will also want the money to be paid back
on time," says Captain Vaghela.

Withdrawal

On the lush hills surrounding Mount Kenya in central Kenya, angry Khat
farmers have been staging protest marches over the decision to ban flights
to Somalia.

Their MP, Maoka Maore, says the farmers are losing heavily:

"It has a very strong negative impact economically. It is upwards of
$15,000 a day. When there is an impact like that even the rest of the
buyers tend to lower their prices," says Mr Maore.

Across the northern border the BBC's Hassan Barise in Mogadishu says
chewers of khat have been going through withdrawal symptoms as the trade
ban imposed by Kenya begins to bite.

"Due to the lack of the commodity in Mogadishu the militiamen will be very
nervous, they will be in need of the commodity which now costs 400,000
Somali shillings ($20) for an amount that one man can chew in a day," he says.

"It is very dangerous situation".

Many Somalis in Kenya and Somalia think that Kenyan accusations of
terrorism and weapons smuggling are exaggerated and point to Kenya's
borders with Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda which could be used by terrorists.

For its part, Kenya sees Somalia as a lawless country and a potential haven
for terrorists.