Alcohol from India among brews destroyed in Nakuru

Youths destroy some of the expired and imported beers that were found in sale at Nakuru town on 06-07-2015,following the presidential directive to crack all second generation liquor [PHOTO:BONIFACE THUKU/STANDARD]

Several cartons of assorted liquor suspected to have been imported from India was part of alcohol destroyed in Nakuru town as the fight against second generation brews entered its fourth day.

Nakuru East MP David Gikaria, who was accompanied by several youths, carried out impromptu inspection of wines and spirits shops in the town in a daylong operation, which also saw two businessmen arrested for allegedly operating without valid licences and selling expired beer.

The imported alcohol was discovered in a factory yard in Nakuru's industrial area. "During the operation, we found several imported alcohol brands and some of them have Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) and Kenya Revenue Authority stickers," said Gikaria.

He added that National Assembly will mend the Alcohol Control Act to stop the sale of second generation alcohol in the country.

The MP also reiterated the need for a clear law to end the current confusion on the role of county governments in liquor licensing.

Although area ward reps have been taking part in the exercise, Nakuru county government officials have given it a wide berth.

"We found several brands of alcohol imported from Uganda and Tanzania, which have expired but are still being sold," he said.

In Njoro town, area MP Joseph Kiuna led the operation where several cartons of spirits were confiscated and destroyed. Kiuna said the directive by President will help save young people in the area whose lives were in danger of being destroyed by the illicit brews.

The operation came as National Authority on Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada) Chairman John Mututho called for arrest of police officers and State officials abetting the sale of illegal liquor.

"The biggest challenge in the fight against illicit alcohol in the country is corruption among personnel that is supposed to law including Kebs and counterfeit department officials," said Mututho, who added that some of the illegal brewers were operating with the full knowledge of Kebs.

properly packaged

The Nacada boss, who was accompanied by the area MP Kimani Ngunjiri, spoke in Bahati constituency at the weekend during a crackdown on illicit brews in the area.

Mututho asked manufacturers of alcoholic drinks to ensure they are properly packaged and branded to avoid counterfeits.

He said most illegal alcohol in circulation has Kebs labels, making it difficult for consumers to differentiate genuine liquor from the fake ones. "It is worrying the market is dominated with counterfeits that are branded and packaged in plastic bottles. More enforcement is required from all stakeholders to curb the vice," he said.

Ngunjiri blamed the county government for issuing liquor licences without first ensuring that applicants have fulfilled all the requirements.

As the crackdown on illicit liquor intensified in various parts of the country, investors in the industry now want the Government to help them produce affordable alcohol by removing excise duty on sorghum.

"The 100 per cent excise duty imposed duty on the raw material priced out of the market affordable and clean liquor leading to the proliferation of the so-called second generation brewers," said Mike Gaitho, a member of the Association of Spirits Manufacturers of Kenya.

The traders faulted the Government's approach in the fight against second generation brews, saying some of the security personnel involved in the raids looted their premises. The brewers also said it was not enough for Kebs to ban some 385 alcohol brands without providing clear guidelines on the manufacture of second generation alcoholic beverages.

Meanwhile, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has demanded that the Government compensates genuine business owners whose premises were vandalised in the crackdown on illicit brews.

The leaders said President Kenyatta's anger about the killer brews should not be an excuse to engage in awlessness and hooliganism.

"We all support the war on illicit brew but using jobless youths to destroy people's genuine businesses is not acceptable," said ODM Chairman John Mbadi.