Kenya ranked low in alcohol consumption

By Jackson Okoth

Kenya: Kenya is ranked at the bottom compared to neighbouring Tanzania, Rwanda, Malawi, Burundi and Uganda in alcohol consumption despite being the largest beer market in the region.

Kenya is also one of the lowest informal beer markets in Africa, at 20 per cent, compared to 89 per cent in Uganda, 87 per cent in Tanzania and 17 per cent in South Africa.

More restrictions

But even with stringent controls on the alcohol industry such as tax on beer, wines and spirits, health warnings and restrictions on sale, sponsorship and advertising, close to 105 people have lost their lives after consuming contaminated alcohol and 133 hospitalised as at May 11, this year.

According to figures released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in a report titled Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health 2014, only 23.1 per cent of Kenya’s population drinks alcohol. Of this,  5.2 per cent is said to engage in excessive drinking. This is compared to Rwanda where 44.7 per cent of the adult population take alcohol, 41.8 per cent in Tanzania, 41.1 per cent in Burundi and 41 per cent in Uganda.

While Kenya has a lower alcohol-consuming population in the region, it has the largest number of beer consumers at 56 per cent of all alcoholic beverages consumed.

Analysis by Standard Investment Bank estimates that in Burundi, only 25 per cent of those taking alcoholic beverages drink beer.

State comparison

This is compared to 50 per cent in Ethiopia, 11 per cent in Rwanda, nine per cent in Uganda and 11 per cent in Tanzania. Kenya’s alcohol consumption per capita at 4.3 litres, also lags behind the Africa average of six litres (Nigeria 10.1, Rwanda 9.8, South Africa 11, Uganda 9.8 and Tanzania 7.7 litres.

Despite relatively low alcohol consumption and abuse in Kenya, a 2012 survey by National Authority for Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse found that 13 per cent of teenagers in the 10-14 years age bracket have used an intoxicating substance, mostly alcohol and cigarettes. In the 15-24 years bracket, a worrying 11.7 per cent were addicted to alcohol while 6.2 per cent were regular users of tobacco products.