It is mostly during the afternoons when you will find many 'muguka' chewers at a muguka sit-in kiosk alias 'veve baze'.

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For starters, 'muguka' or 'jaba' is a stimulant whose green leaves are chewed to achieve similar effects as those of khat or miraa.

However, 'muguka' has come to surpass miraa in terms of consumer base due its cheap availability around Kenya. 

Much of Kenya's 'muguka' come from Embu County. That said, what are many of these 'muguka' chewers busy doing at these so-called 'veve bazes' where they often stay for several hours before retiring home?

1. Betting: Many 'muguka' chewers are registered with almost every betting company operating in Kenya. Once they chew the 'muguka' leaves to a certain level, they become hyperactive and hysterical. In this state, they will place as many bets as their money can allow. And mind you, they do win and win big!

2. Arguing: Some 'muguka' chewers after they get 'high', just like arguments ranging from sports, politics, just to name but a few. You will find them engaging in headless and tailless talks that lead to no man's land.

3. Building castles in the air: You can simply call it 'day-dreaming'. Some 'muguka' chewers while 'high', just fancy in giving you many extravagant hopes that will never be carried out or are simply unachievable. This is the aspect that makes many of them be perceived as conmen or liars even when they are not.

4. Idling: Why miraa and its substitutes have been banned in some western countries, is because the stimulant was found to make users 'feel at the comfort zone' for several hours while thinking about nothing of value. How true or false this finding is, only the chewers can tell.

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