Lenku vows to eradicate illicit brew, puts drug barons on notice

Interior and National Coordination Cabinet Secretary Joseph ole Lenku has put on notice illicit brewers and drug dealers saying they will face the full force of the law.

He said the Government would not sit back and watch as citizens are rendered unproductive by greedy traders out to mint money at the expense of other people’s health.

The Cabinet Secretary said the menace was particularly rampant in the slums, especially in Nairobi, Mombasa and other urban areas.

Mr Lenku, who was accompanied by Nairobi County Commander Benson Kibui during a tour of Mathare slums yesterday, urged locals to work with security forces to eradicate the illegal trade.

Twelve people were arrested during a crackdown in the slum. The slum is a den of illicit brew and hard drugs ,a reason why Lenku chose to visit the area.

More than 88 bags of molasses and barrels of brew were also recovered from a main supplier in the slum. Mr Kibui said idle youth were used as conduits of drugs and warned them that they risk being arrested.

Lenku said the crackdown would be extended to other parts of the city.  “We will not sit down and watch our generation being swept by the drug barons. We must work together and ensure the menace is addressed by all means,” he said.

The move comes after President Uhuru Kenyatta’s directed police to arrest all drugs dealers and deport foreigners involved in the illegal trade. Kenyatta said alcohol and drug abuse was a major setback to economic growth in Kenya.

“It is also one of the biggest hindrances to maintenance of security for citizens. In fact, it is a contradiction in terms to keep talking about double digit economic growth and the achievement of Vision 2030 goals when the abuse of alcohol and drugs remains untamed,” he said.