Kanja orders crackdown on illicit brews, drugs

Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja

Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja has warned police commanders they will be held responsible for the sale and distribution of illicit alcohol and drugs in their jurisdictions.

In an internal memo issued through his Principal Assistant, Mathew Kutoh, Kanja said he had noted a resurgence in illicit alcohol and drug abuse despite an earlier crackdown.

He directed commanders to intensify operations against the manufacture, sale and distribution of illicit alcohol and drugs.

“In a recent incident at Kimende Township, Kiambu County, one person died after consuming illicit alcohol while another narrowly survived, sparking public protests against unscrupulous traders who continue to place profit above human life,” he said.

He directed officers commanding stations to take decisive action against illicit alcohol and drug dealers.

“Any commander whose area shall be found with persistent or rampant cases of illicit alcohol and drug abuse will be held personally responsible.”

Kanja also ordered police to submit daily reports on arrests and drug and alcohol seizures through the established police channels.

The directive comes a day after Kanja, his deputies Eliud Lagat and Gilbert Masengeli, and DCI Director Mohamed Amin joined Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen to oversee the destruction of Sh8.2 billion worth of methamphetamine in Bamburi, Mombasa County.

Murkomen said the government had strengthened the National Anti-Narcotics Investigations Bureau, increasing its personnel to 405.