- A crackdown on illicit alcohol in Kirinyaga has renewed concerns about children’s growing exposure to alcoholic drinks.
- Security agencies have seized thousands of litres of illicit brews while warning traders against selling alcohol to minors.
- Protecting learners requires sustained enforcement, responsible licensing, parental involvement and vigilance beyond the school environment.
A growing alcohol crisis is knocking on the doors of Kirinyaga’s schools, with concerns emerging that children can increasingly gain access to alcoholic drinks as authorities intensify a crackdown on illicit brews and drug abuse.
The concern has thrust a troubling question to the centre of the county’s education debate: How can schools protect learners from substance abuse when alcohol remains within easy reach of children in the communities surrounding them?
The warning comes as security agencies step up operations against illicit alcohol and drugs, uncovering thousands of litres of illegal brews and making arrests across the county.
Between August 1 and September 30, security agencies confiscated 2,283 litres of Makavo, 49 litres of Muratina, seven kilogrammes of cannabis and 432 rolls of bhang.
The figures were disclosed as authorities intensified a multi-agency crackdown targeting illicit alcohol, counterfeit drinks and drug abuse in Kirinyaga.
The crackdown has also resulted in 54 illicit-alcohol cases reaching the courts, while 28 people were arrested and taken to court during a three-day rapid response operation.
Authorities have raided bars in Kirinyaga West, with some establishments found operating outside authorised hours and others facing compliance concerns.
But beyond the seizures and arrests lies a deeper concern for families: children are reportedly finding it easier to access alcohol.
Authorities have warned bar owners and other individuals against selling or facilitating access to alcohol by minors.
The location of drinking establishments has also come under scrutiny, particularly where bars operate close to schools and residential areas.
Kenya’s Alcoholic Drinks Control Act provides that premises seeking a licence to sell alcohol for consumption on-site should be located at least 300 metres from nurseries, primary and secondary schools and other learning institutions for persons under 18.
The law also prohibits knowingly selling, supplying or providing alcoholic drinks to anyone under 18.
These provisions place a clear responsibility on licensing and enforcement authorities to ensure that learning environments are protected from inappropriate exposure to alcohol outlets.
The bigger education question
The Kirinyaga situation raises a wider question about the environment surrounding children outside the classroom.
A school can teach learners about the dangers of alcohol, drugs and other harmful substances, but those lessons can be undermined if children encounter easily accessible alcohol outlets on their way home, around residential areas or within the wider community.
This places responsibility beyond teachers and school administrators.
Parents have a role in knowing where their children spend their time. Communities have a role in reporting outlets that breach regulations. County governments have responsibilities in licensing and regulation. Security agencies have responsibilities in enforcement. Alcohol traders have a legal and social responsibility not to sell or facilitate access to minors.
The ongoing operation in Kirinyaga involves several government agencies working together to address illicit alcohol and substance abuse.
The 14-day Rapid Results Initiative brings together National Government Administration Officers, police, the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA), Kenya Revenue Authority, Kenya Bureau of Standards, Anti-Counterfeit Authority, the county government and community representatives.
The approach also brings into focus the importance of involving residents in decisions concerning the number and location of alcohol outlets in their communities.
That could make the alcohol debate less about occasional raids and more about prevention, licensing, enforcement and community accountability.
Kirinyaga residents have previously expressed concern about the availability of illicit alcohol and its impact on young people.
The current crackdown therefore provides an opportunity to examine not only what authorities seize during raids, but also how alcohol gets into communities in the first place and how children are able to gain access to it.
For parents, the issue is especially urgent.
A child does not have to develop alcohol dependency for exposure to alcohol to become an education and child-protection concern. Easy access can create risks ranging from absenteeism and poor concentration to exposure to unsafe environments and other forms of substance abuse.
The response will therefore require more than closing a few outlets.
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It will require sustained enforcement, responsible licensing, community vigilance, parental involvement and stronger protection of the spaces in which children learn and grow.
The warning from Kirinyaga is clear: protecting children from alcohol cannot begin and end at the school gate. The entire community around the child matters.
By Kithinji Njeru and Hillary Muhalya
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