Behave or pay, Mututho warns merry makers

By ALPHONCE SHIUNDU

NAIROBI, KENYA: The country’s czar in charge of the fight against alcohol abuse, John Mututho, has issued a fresh caution to drunkards and barmen ahead of the festive season: “Behave or you will pay dearly.”

The maximum fine for some mundane offences –such as drinking alcohol from a soft-drink bottle—is pegged at Sh10 million.

“There are people who pour alcohol in a bottle of mineral water, or in a bottle of soda, and then they pretend that they are taking a soft-drink. If we find you, you should know what the maximum fine for adulterating drinks is,” said Mututho, the chairman of National Authority for the Campaign against Drug Abuse (Nacada).

While, that fine is prescribed for those who sell adulterated drinks, Mr Mututho insists that anyone who takes alcohol must be able to prove that whatever they are taking was genuine, and had been purchased from licensed retailers.

“The truth is, out of 500 brands of alcohol, only 50 brands are known to the Kenya Bureau of Standards. 450 brands are, therefore, basically poison. We have done an audit, and we are trying to make sure that Kenyans don’t end up drinking poison,” said Mututho.

He added: “If you buy a drink and you have slaughtered your goat or whatever animal, just cut a piece of fresh liver and drop it in your glass with the drink. If it turns white, and then disintegrates, I can guarantee you that you will die if you consume that drink! But if it is genuine alcohol, nothing will happen to that piece of liver.”

The Nacada boss also clarified that the Sh1,000 fee for home parties only applies to licensed retailers who want to sell alcohol away from their business premises.

“If you buy alcohol and want to consume it in your home, with your family members, relatives and friends, you don’t need a licence,” said Mututho.

He said the Nacada licence for temporary sale of alcohol was based on the provisions of Legal Notice 206/2010 to make sure that hotels, bars and outside caterers who sell alcohol at parties outside their premises adhere to the law.

”If you have a bar in your home and you have a party and you’re selling that alcohol to people, then you will need a licence,” said Mututho.

The Nacada boss said he had seen a copy of a licence circulating on social media with a condition stopping Kenyans from discussing politics during gatherings. He denounced the version and referred Kenyans to the valid licence in the Legal Notice 206/2010

“Kenyans should not give the police a reason to harass them…Nacada cannot be party to draconian provisions!” said Mututho.