Mututho reveals new rules to curb alcohol manufacture and sale

NACADA chairman John Mututho PHOTO: Antony Gitonga

NAIVASHA: The National Authority for the Campaign against Drug and Alcohol abuse (NACADA) has announced new regulations in a bid to contain the manufacture and sale of alcoholic drinks.

All liquor manufacturers and outlets will be required to have a permit from the authority.
The authority has banned temporary operating licenses issued to bars on monthly basis noting that this had been abused by bar owners.

According to the authority chairman John Mututho, the measures were meant to control the rising number of liquor manufacturers in the country.

He noted that the new regulations could come in force with immediate effect noting that the number of deaths associated with liquor in the country was on the rise.

"Apart from the county licenses, the authority will from now issue permits for the manufacture of alcoholic drinks and to liquor outlets," he said.

The former Naivasha MP said that this were some of the raft measures the authority planned to present during the two day meeting for Central Kenya leaders in Nyeri.

Speaking on Thursday, Mututho said that the new regulations would also target those involved in the importation of liquor.

"We have come to realize that a high percentage of imported liquor is not fit for human consumption and hence the need to license those involved in this trade," he said.

On the issue of monthly temporally licenses, Mututho accused some bars of misusing them to operate their business illegally.

Mututho at the same time lashed at the Nakuru government over the control of illicit brews and selling outlets in the county.

He questioned the rationale by the new alcoholic control board to license more bars in the county terming this as illegal.

"We have information that the county wants to license more bars mainly in major towns including Naivasha and Nakuru and we shall object this," he said.

The former Naivasha MP vowed that he would continue fighting against the second generation brews which were back in the market.

Mututho said that there over 3,000 Kenyans in India seeking treatment for various diseases all caused by high consumption of liquor.

"The number of Kenyans seeking treatment for diseases like kidney failure and cancer in India has been traced to consumption of the poisonous liquor," he said.