Mututho dismisses NACADA's alcohol proposals as ill-advised, unrealistic

John Mututho during a past press briefing. The former NACADA boss described the National Policy for the Prevention, Management, and Control of Alcohol, Drugs, and Substance Abuse 2025 as poorly thought out, unrealistic, and lacking serious understanding of the country's deep-rooted addiction crisis. (Photo: File, Standard) Former NACADA boss John Mututho, the man behind Kenya's famous Alcoholic Drinks Control Act of 2010, widely known as the Mututho Law, has launched a scathing attack on the Authority's latest draft alcohol and drug control policy. Mututho described the National Policy for the Prevention, Management, and Control of Alcohol, Drugs, and Substance Abuse 2025 as poorly thought out, unrealistic, and lacking serious understanding of the country's deep-rooted addiction crisis. NACADA unveiled the new recommendations on July 30, 2025. Mututho tore into the proposal's key clauses, particularly those suggesting the legal drinking age be raised from 18 to 21 and that alcohol sales be banned in petrol stations and supermarkets. Mututho accused NACADA of pushing blanket restrictions without solid data to support their potential effectiveness. (Photo: File, Standard) "If 18-year-olds are old enough to vote, how is it logical to deny them the right to drink?" Mututho posed, questioning the rationale behind the proposal. "This is a classic example of being reactive instead of strategic." With years of experience in alcohol policy reform and public service, Mututho didn't hold back, accusing NACADA of pushing blanket restrictions without a shred of solid data to support their potential effectiveness. He faulted the proposal for failing to identify the actual sources fuelling Kenya's alcohol abuse problem. "We don't even know where the real problem lies," he said. "Is it the supermarkets? Is it petrol stations? Is it wines and spirits outlets? Is it the youth? The data simply doesn't exist, and that makes any wide-sweeping measures dangerous and counterproductive." Even more alarming to the seasoned policymaker is what he calls Kenya's "non-existent" addiction treatment system. Mututho revealed that the country currently has only around 250 rehabilitation beds to serve an estimated 10.2 million clinical addicts, a shocking ratio that exposes the country's glaring lack of preparedness to handle substance abuse. "And most of the existing rehab centres," he added, "are run by unqualified people with little or no oversight. That is not a solution. That is a time bomb." According to him, no amount of regulation or age restrictions will yield meaningful results without proper investment in rehabilitation, public education, and oversight. Mututho stressed that any credible policy must be built on three key pillars: access regulation, quality control, and honest enforcement. "Regulating access means understanding when, where, and how people consume alcohol, not just banning everything arbitrarily. Quality control is about ensuring what's being sold is safe and licensed. But most critically, enforcement must be free of corruption," he said. He warned that unless clearly defined roles and adequate funding are provided for enforcement bodies, the policy risks becoming just another corrupt system ripe for abuse by rogue officers. "This is going to become another cash box for enforcers," he said bluntly. "Selective application and extortion will take over, not real reform." Mututho, who has long been a vocal advocate for ethical alcohol use and addiction treatment, dismissed the NACADA proposal as hollow and lacking depth. "Kenya doesn't need knee-jerk bans and cosmetic policy announcements. We need truth. We need research. We need leadership," he said. "If we don't invest in long-term systems of care and control, this fight against substance abuse will go the way of all other failed experiments." The rebuke from Mututho adds to growing criticism of NACADA's draft proposals, with creatives, civil society actors, and policy experts all questioning both the intent and the implementation roadmap of the new recommendations.

Mututho dismisses NACADA's alcohol proposals as ill-advised, unrealistic

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Mututho dismisses NACADA's alcohol proposals as ill-advised, unrealistic

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