By Joseph Murimi
The proposed law to ban selling of alcohol two days before the General Election has made players in the entertainment industry come out guns blazing and re-ignited the whole debate on alcohol consumption and how to mitigate its abuse.
Already smarting from the earlier law crafted by the same author Naivasha MP John Mututho, Kenyans have poured scorn on the latest antic by the lawmaker and are making all sorts of jokes about him and the law.
On a more sobering note – this development has come at time when a senior Kenyan admitted that his late son had a long struggle with alcoholism and after winning the battle he planned to start a rehabilitation home.
This was both a shocking and sobering revelation. It took enormous courage for a parent to be this bold. It lays bare what parents are going through courtesy of alcohol. We can make fun about alcoholism and even draw caricatures of Mututho but this is a serious problem in Kenya affecting all spheres of society regardless of age, gender, academic standard, income, profession, religious or geographical location.
In many parts of Kenya and especially Central, alcoholism has ruined a whole generation. To make the matter worse there are no rehabilitation centres, and the cost of admission in the few that are available are way above the reach of the common people who incidentally have the heaviest burden.
For this reality check to sink, all one needs to do is check the statistics held by Nacada and they will for once take Mututho seriously even as he engages in a lone ranger campaign against a beverage that is loved and hated in equal measure.
Excessive consumption of alcohol has been linked to many health problems and conditions including cancer that has of late taken lives of many citizens. Drunk driving is a leading cause of accidents across the globe hence the strict rules against driving under influence of alcohol.
Also tacked in the Bill is the proposal to raise the drinking age from 18 to 21 years. This proposal on age is not new as it was in the original Bill drafted by Mututho but was deleted in an amendment after it was found to be conflict with the Constitution that perceived one to be an adult upon reaching the age of 18.
Proponents of this argue that research has shown that the human brain continues to grow up to about age 25 and, therefore, because of the proven harmful effect alcohol has on the brain, it was would be paramount and noble to protect a growing brain from damage brought about by imbibing alcohol at a tender age. They say our forefathers knew this and that is why in traditional African societies only elders were allowed to take alcohol.
The other thorn in the flesh is in proposal on advertising of alcohol. The law already bans advertising of alcohol during the day and is only allowed late in the night so as not to influence and entice the children and young adults.
Rehabilitation centres
Like in all laws including the recently enacted traffic rules, enforcement is their bane. Lack of enforcement is the weakest link. And when it comes to alcoholism, massive public education and awareness campaigns on the dangers of alcohol abuse is what this country needs so that Kenyans can adopt the culture of responsible drinking.
Entities charged with these responsibilities need to up their game so that a clear message can be spread far and wide. Rehabilitation centres should also be opened across the country and equipped with the necessary facilities to make the recovery process complete.
Too much legislation is not the solution because alcohol consumption in Kenya is not illegal and those selling it are engaged in a legitimate business so long as they follow the law. What Kenyans need to do is to engage in responsible drinking.
For instance, the existing law bans sale of alcohol before 4 pm and closure of bars at 11pm. This is a directive if enforced can solve Mututho’s dilemma of having drunkards electing leaders.
But this is a law that has never been implemented and it is worse in upcountry where these bars operate with utmost impunity.
These bars in the villages open as early as 8am and you might mistake them for hotels but are selling very toxic substances that have not met a single standard including the containers they are served in.
We expected that with the Mututho law scenes where women demonstrated against alcohol would end but they are still being reported.
It is simply a case of not being implemented. This whole thing boils down to implementation. But it has become a standing joke in Kenya that every time something goes wrong we rush to Parliament and enact a new law even before the ink that signed the other has dried.
Writer is a PR and Media Consultant.
