- Residents and leaders in Kiambu are calling for concerted efforts to tackle illicit and counterfeit alcohol.
- Women in Gatundu South say the brews are destroying young lives, families and livelihoods in their communities.
- Leaders want security agencies, the county government and residents to work together to contain the menace.
As counterfeit and killer liquor continue to ravage the country, claiming innocent lives and destroying thousands, leaders are now calling for deliberate measures to tackle the menace.
Recent reports indicate that counterfeit brews have infiltrated the Kenyan market, with unscrupulous dealers brewing and selling the lethal liquor at the expense of innocent Kenyans’ lives.
In Kiambu County, illicit and third-generation brews have taken a toll on youngsters, turning them into zombies. Makers of the alcohol are said to be working with corrupt state officers to perpetrate the outlawed trade.
The menace has already sparked protests across the county from residents, especially women, who have decried that the brews are wiping out the young generation, fuelling family feuds and break-ups and exacerbating poverty levels in many homes across the region.
On Monday, women from Kagumo-ini village in Gatundu South Constituency held protests against uncontrolled brewing, sale and consumption of second- and third-generation brews in the area.
The protests came after a young man from the village died after excessive consumption of the liquor following a night-long drinking spree at a notorious bar in the village.
The angry women, led by Virginia Wanjiku, lamented that in a span of three months, the village had lost four young lives to the lethal alcohol, adding that most of those who imbibe in the village have been turned into zombies by the liquor.
“We are tired of losing our children to these brews. We won’t bury another one because of the alcohol. Our children no longer go to work and all they can do is drink the cheap liquor. Theft in our homes and farms has increased because they are looking for quick money to go and drink,” Wanjiku said.
The women noted with concern that young men in the village remain unmarried due to heavy indulgence in alcoholism as they cannot meet marital duties.
“These brews are a scourge that will wipe out a generation if something is not done. Young men are afraid of marrying since the brews have destroyed them. They are unproductive,” said resident Monica Wairimu.
They blamed the authorities for failing to tame the menace, saying that the brews are sold under the watch of unscrupulous police officers and local administration officials, adding that those who engage in the trade are well known by the authorities, yet no action has been taken against them.
“Those who make the illicit brews are known, but they usually bribe their way. The fight against these brews won’t be won if those mandated to tame it are part and parcel of the trade,” Wairimu noted.
They also pointed an accusing finger at the Kiambu County Government for failing to regulate the licensing of liquor outlets, saying that this has contributed highly to the menace.
“The county government is only keen on the revenue it’s generating without taking concern for the lives that are at risk,” said resident Gatiba Gitau.
MPs call for concerted efforts
Leaders in the region, led by Thika Town MP Alice Ng’ang’a and her Gatundu North counterpart Elijah Njoroge Kururia, called for concerted efforts among all stakeholders to fight the scourge and wipe out the killer brews from the region.
Speaking at Gakoe Primary School in Gatundu North Constituency while officially opening the school’s kitchen, the MPs raised the alarm over increasing alcohol-related deaths in the region, noting that it is a menace that requires collaborative efforts to deal with.
Kururia noted that the sale and consumption of counterfeit and outlawed liquor is still rife in areas such as Mang’u, Kamwangi and Gatei, among other villages within the constituency, adding that his office is already working closely with the area security apparatus and residents to end it.
“We are appealing to our security personnel to work round the clock and ensure that the vice is tamed. Any officers found abetting the sale of killer brews will also face the wrath of the law,” Kururia said.
“I will be mobilising Gatundu North residents to destroy these lethal brews that are killing our people,” he added.
On her part, MP Alice Ng’ang’a called on the government, through the Interior Ministry, to step up the war against the making, sale and consumption of sham and illicit brews, saying that it has become a national matter.
She quipped that the government must also crack down on the illegal trade in ethanol, which is usually used in the making of counterfeit liquor, adding that barons who are perpetrating the trade should not be spared by the law.
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“We are saddened by the many deaths that are being recorded daily arising from consumption of killer brews. We must all act decisively and stem this menace once and for all,” she said.
By John Kamau
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