Chiefs are now warning residents against keeping dogs in a bid to deter the local administrators who raid homes of illicit alcohol brewers.
Assistant Chief of Kajwang' Sub-location in Ndhiwa Sub-county Enos Nyawade says residents who are in the illicit brews trade keep dogs for protecting themselves against arrests by police or chiefs.
Nyawade who also serves as the manager for operations in Kobodo Division has come across many cases in which brewers guard illegal alcohol dens using dogs.
The brewers make chang'aa and a local brew known as kangara. The brews are manufactured in bushes and stored in plastic containers of about 100 litres each. The containers are covered well and kept in sugarcane plantations. They are kept in sugarcane plantations to avoid being noticed.
But in a move that shows the illicit brewers have become innovative on how to protect their business, they are using dogs to guard their liquor.
Nyawade had led operations in which they found dogs which have been trained to guard alcohol.
One of the incidents was recently witnessed at Kakula Kodhul village, South Kanyamwa location. Nyawade led a group of chiefs who undertook an operation in which they confiscated 3,860 litres of kangara and five litres of chang'aa.
The liquor den was found inside a four-acre plantation. Suspects were not found since they had run away. Only a dog was found in the area.
After not finding any suspects in the plantation, the chief moved to the homestead of the brewer.
However, they found a menacing dog tied at the doorway, which scared the administrators away.
"The dog seemed ready to bite us and at some point, we contemplated whether we should kill it so that we could gain entry into the house," Nyawade said.
Some weeks ago, the chiefs found 2,570 litres of kangara at Kochola village, South Kanyamwa location. The liquor was kept in 20 plastic super drums. The brewers ran away, leaving behind a dog which was barking menacingly at the administrators.
Nyawade said they had to wage war with the dog in order to access the illicit brew and then destroy it.
"The dog was determined to bite us. It seemed to have been trained to bite anybody who came close to the brew. We managed to chase the dog," Nyawade said.
They destroyed the brew before confiscating the equipment which had been used for preparing and storing it.
The instances indicate that brewers of illicit alcohol are now using dogs to scare away chiefs in an effort to protect their brews.