Blow to Kiambu bar owners as Matiang'i orders closure in illicit brew crackdown

Interior CS Fred Matiang'i flanked by Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu and other leaders from the county inspect drums containing illicit brew at Makwa village in Gatundu North Constituency on Tuesday. Matiang'i ordered all bars in the county to be closed awaiting fresh vetting and licensing in illicit brew crackdown. (Photo: Kamau Maichuhie, Standard).

Bar owners in Kiambu have been dealt with a major blow after Interior Cabinet Sectary Dr Fred Matiang’i ordered all bars in the county closed as the war on illicit brew went a notch higher.

Matiang’i who spoke in Makwa village Gatundu North Constituency which is notorious for illicit liquor brewing said the move will help in boosting the ongoing government crackdown of illicit brew and second generation alcohol.

He said the directive will give the bar owners a chance to apply for licenses afresh and county government the opportunity to vet and issue licenses to those who will meet the set conditions as stipulated in the recently enacted Kiambu County Alcoholic Drinks Control Act.

The CS said Kiambu was one of the counties with the highest level of alcoholism in the country adding the high number of bars and clubs in the area was a clear testament to the menace.

“It is very sad to note that we have more bars and clubs in the county that both primary and secondary schools combined. Currently, the county has 777 primary and 369 secondary schools while it has 3062 bars and clubs. This is unacceptable and must be checked,” said Dr Mating’i.

Matiang’i said the government will also take stern action in other 17 counties which he did not name where there were serious concerns of rampant illicit alcohol consumption.

He said bar owners who will feel aggrieved by the directive should go to court and seek redress there adding the government will not relent in the fight against alcoholism.

“Those demonstrating against the government move should go to court f they feel aggrieved and we will meet there,” he said.

He said there was no turning back in the fight as far as the fight against illicit brew and second generation alcohol in the country was concerned

“We cannot continue to lose innocent lives in the name of illicit alcohol. It is the high time we became innocent to ourselves that it is killing our people. We have to sort out this problem once and for all,” said the CS.

Matiang’i also warned provincial administrators and the police who will be found working in cohorts with illicit liquor brewers and sellers that their time was up.

They said those who will be caught will no longer be suspended but sacked and dismissed from government.

The CS supported Governor Ferdinand Waititu recent efforts aimed at fighting illicit brews and lethal alcohol in the area.

“We will support you. My team is firmly instructed to work with you. If there is a problem, we will solve it and move on. I urge you to however make sure you work with Kenya Bureau of Standard, Kenya Revenue Authority and National Authority for the Campaign Against Drug Abuse (NACADA),”he said.

Earlier, Waititu had pleaded with the CS to order all the bars in the county to be closed down awaiting fresh vetting and licensing since his order had been disobeyed.

“Dr Matiangi I am requesting you to assist me in having all bars and clubs in the county closed as we await fresh vetting and licensing. My order to have them closed has not been heeded and that is the reason I’m seeking your help,” said Waititu.

The governor has been at loggerheads with bar owners in the county who have been accusing him of seeking to drive them out of business despite them being in legitimate beer business.

Last week, bar owners through their umbrella body Kiambu Bar Liquor Association held a demonstration where they stormed the county headquarters accusing the governor of being hell bent on driving them out of business.

Led by their Chairman Richard Kagiri, the bar owners vowed to defy Waititu's order because they were not engaging in illicit brew business.

“We want the governor to know all the genuine bar owners will not follow his order. We are not in any way engaged in illegal business. All our members are in legitimate business and they do not sell illicit brews but legally approved beer,” said Mr Kagiri.

The bar owners accused the governor of using the new law to frustrate legitimate businesses to achieve selfish ends and threatened to move to court to challenge the new law.

They told the governor to turn his energies in fighting illicit brews and second generation alcohols in the area instead of  innocent bar owners who in legitimate business.