By Jevans nyabiage
NAIROBI, KENYA: When in 2010, former President Kibaki signed the Alcoholic Drinks Control Bill into law, it thrust the then Naivasha MP John Michael Mututho into the limelight. And since then, his name is akin to a brand, gaining repute of enormous proportions.
Giving rise to what is commonly known as ‘Mututho law’— it seeks to regulate the production, sale and consumption of alcohol. This has captured the nation’s imagination with his efforts earning him so much condemnation and admiration in equal measure. He had to fight the heavily pocketed brewing giants, bar associations and drink lovers opposed to the law.
And he claims that his current political fate might be linked to his anti-alcohol campaigns. His attempt to recapture the Naivasha Parliamentary seat was thwarted when he lost during TNA primaries. Although he jumped ship to Charity Ngilu’s Narc, he lost during the March 4 poll. He put blame for his fall on his concerted fight against illicit and second generation brews. Mututho now says he is planning a new big thing — rehabilitation centres to continue the fight against alcoholism and illicit brew.
He said with the help of doctors, who are set to jet in from Chicago and Russia next month, his plan is to have rehabilitation centres, which will operate on a not-for-profit basis.
Mututho says he has identified four sites — in Naivasha, Karen, Molo and Kitengela — where with his partners they will set up the centres to continue with his pursuit to fight alcohol abuse.
He estimates that the project will cost about Sh500 million, with funding coming from well wishers, partners and friends. “This project will down the costs of rehabilitation from about Sh250,000 currently charged to as low as between Sh10,000 and Sh20,000,” said Mututho.
Mututho will be best remembered for his Alcoholic Drinks Control Act, which introduced strict measures on the production, drinking and selling of alcohol.
He says his concern for mankind inspired the law. He believes alcohol affects the brain, reducing human beings to zombies.
When he began his “war on booze” little did he suspect that he would end up spending Sh8.6 million from his own pocket plus an extra Sh3.5 million, which he received from Parliament. According to the law, bars are only open to the public from 5pm to 11pm on weekdays and from 2pm to 11pm on weekends.
