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Illicit brews, just like illicit sex, is all about emotions and passions

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People take beer for one simple reason, they want to be drunk. And it is fun to be drunk. You can abuse your friends or perceived enemies and give the excuse that you were drunk.

Beer has a fascinating history; every society even the most primitive knew how to brew alcohol. And each society had elaborate ceremonies accompanying beer taking. Among the Nandis, people used "pipes" to take beer from the same pot, ensuring no one would poison others. In Central Kenya, a horn was passed round and everyone tasted it, before real beer taking started. Today, any time I go to a nyama choma joint, the person serving us must taste our meat to confirm it is okay. But all these elaborate ceremonies are gone. But the brew is still there. We have a less restrained society, where everyone can buy beer, and take it.

We still see taking beer as a sign of being a man, being tough. Others take beer in order to do things they would not do if sober- getting drunk as cheaply and as soon as possible seen as heroic. However at no time was beer seen as a death trap. Beer was taken with responsibility, by people of a certain age and status. In fact, among most African communities, elderly women were allowed to take alcohol because they would be very responsible.

It has been assumed that the passing of the traditional society with its taboos and unwritten rules was supposed to usher in a modern society with its codified rules and regulation, enforced by the government. In the some countries, beer cannot be sold to persons under 21 , and this is enforced. In Kenya, we put the age limit at 18, but that is just on paper. Go into nay neighbourhoods and young kids will tell you the difference between Pilsner and Tusker. Go into the slums and people will tell you they tasted Keroro, Muratina, chang’aa, Karubo, Mugaca, or whatever the local name is, when they were too young to know its implications.

The issue of illicit brew is close to that of illicit sex, and the associated problem of aids and pregnancy. Our attempt to stop illicit sex has failed, because like taking brew, there is an element of emotions and passions involved and a lot of irrational behaviour.

One reason both practices thrive is because of conventional wisdom. Both activities are seen as status symbols. Can we have competitors for them? If we introduced competing activities for our young men and women, and some not so young, we could have less of such vices. What of games, what of community services? At one time, the whole community planted trees and participated in soil conservation and water projects.

Few can debate that idleness is a driving force behind taking these brews. There is no shortage of idle people, ready for anything that will excite them and bring some “action” to life.

The government must also do its work; it takes over where other institutions fail. There is no doubt that there is a failure in the chain of responsibility. And we must know who has failed and have him held accountable. If we can take people to court for abuse of office, we need some people taken to court for abetting death through alcoholic drinks laced with poison.

Finally, let us spare no time for conspiracy theories. Lives are too precious to be politicized. And these are not the best headlines from Kenya

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