Why liquor dealers are unhappy with Central Kenya county governments

Adult African people are talking in a bar. There are many beer bottles on the table because of a discount in the happy hour

NYERI, KENYA: The continued proliferation of illegal drinks and abuse of alcohol in Central Kenya has prompted the region's county governments to develop ingenious ways of dealing with the problem.

But the strategies devised by the devolved units are already encountering hurdles, with stiff opposition coming from traders, distributors, and other stakeholders.

From Murang’a to Kiambu and Nyeri to Kirinyaga, the county governments have come up with legislation to control the lucrative sector but their interventions are already facing difficulties.

The latest decision by the Murang’a county government to introduce a levy on all alcoholic beverage distributors and bar owners to raise money for the rehabilitation of addicts has rubbed liquor dealers the wrong way.

Those in the alcohol business have warned that the levy would drive the prices of alcoholic beverages up and, therefore, affect their livelihoods.

Legal drinking

In Kiambu, a proposal to increase the legal drinking age to 21 years from 18 has met stiff opposition, but Governor Ferdinand Waititu has stood his ground and is determined to make the youth, who are the most affected by alcohol abuse, productive.

Stiffer penalties have also been suggested for people found selling and distributing adulterated drinks in Kiambu County.

Similar measures have been taken in Nyeri, with the county administration seeking to reduce the number of alcohol selling points to check easy availability of the intoxicants.

In the neighbouring Kirinyaga County, the administration is scratching its head over the comeback of adulterated drinks after a crackdown ordered by President Uhuru Kenyatta two years ago.

Deputy Governor Peter Ndambiri said the Liquor and Soft Drinks Act 2014 has many loopholes which some traders have continued to exploit to further their illegal business.

He said a draft of the proposed strict rules and regulations in the trade would on Friday and Saturday be subjected to a thorough public debate before being forwarded to the county assembly for debate and adoption into law.

Mr Ndambiri also accused some police officers and members of the provincial administration of abetting the brewing and consumption of liquor in Ngomongo slums near Kutus town.

"We are aware of major illicit liquor brewing and consumption at this slum and we are urging County Commissioner Mohamed Birik to stamp his authority over the menace," he said.

On Tuesday, the county administration confiscated 750 cartons of illicit liquor.

Traders in Murang’a have expressed fears that the rehabilitation levy announced by Governor Mwangi wa Iria it would hurt their businesses.

Peter Karumba, an alcohol dealer in Gatanga, described the proposed levy as punitive, saying traders would have to increase the price of the drinks.

The traders, Karumba said, were also unaware of the formula used to come up with the levy.

He accused the Murang'a county government of failing to spend millions of shillings collected from liquor licences since 2014 for the treatment and rehabilitation of addicts, as the law demands.

“There is a need for a stakeholders' forum as the traders are in the dark. We have been caught by surprise by the county government's announcement. The rehabilitation levy will amount to double taxation as traders have been paying for liquor licences annually,” said Karumba.

The Murang'a Bar Owners Association chairman, James Waweru, said members were unaware of the proposals by the executive.

The rehabilitation exercise, he said, was a noble idea that would be supported by the members as there was a need to ensure sanity in the sector.

“Liquor licence fees are supposed to cater for the rehabilitation of addicts, as stipulated in the Liquor Act of 2013, which mobilises millions of shillings annually,” said Waweru.

The clergy and some residents have promised to help address the problem of alcoholism, which has for long plagued the area.

Concerted efforts

Kirwara PCEA Church cleric Geoffrey Karugu said there was a need for concerted efforts to reduce alcoholism in the region.

He said tough measures were required to limit availability of alcohol to the young.

The church, Rev Karugu said, had requested the authorities to reduce the number of outlets to control the vice.

The Murang’a County trade and planning executive, David Waweru, said the details of the levy were being deliberated by the concerned departments.

In Kiambu, a raft of stringent measures contained in a bill are expected to be tabled in the county assembly once when convenes after recess next week.

The bill proposes to raise the legal drinking age to 21 years.