The government has expressed concerns about the increase in the consumption of illicit brew in the country.
A report by the Ministry of I...
The government has expressed concerns about the increase in the consumption of illicit brew in the country.
A report by the Ministry of Interior indicates a majority of Kenyans are consuming illicit brews.
The report further states that Kangara is the most consumed informal brew in the country, consisting 1.6 million out of 1.7 million litres of the brew confiscated by authorities in January, February, and March 2023.
“Chang'aa and busaa, whose figures in the ongoing operation stand at 330,824 litres and 112,915 litres respectively, are also popular bootleg liquors among brewers and consumers,” the report reads.
The Interior Cabinet Secretary Professor Kithure Kindiki is leading the war on illicit liquor and psychotropic substances.
According to the Interior Principal Secretary Dr Raymond Omollo, the war on illicit brews was intensified in February and the team that on the ground is under strict instructions to go hard on those involved in this trade, particularly the producers, distributors, and sellers.
"We must disrupt the trade to stand any chance of breaking the chain of harm that is flowing from the production to the consumption of these deadly drinks," PS Omollo said after reviewing the latest report on the progress of the mission.
The PS said that during the operation, hard drugs worth millions of shillings were netted.
Dr Omollo said the operation will be intensified after early encouraging signs of success as the government seeks to boost public health and upend the social and security challenges posed by this trade.
The PS has divulged that the multi-agency team on the ground is under strict instructions to go hard on those involved in this trade, particularly the producers, distributors and sellers.
Dr Omollo also singled out the widespread abuse of cannabis as a major cause for concern, saying that 347,944 rolls, stones and stems of the drug have been seized so far.
The abuse of cannabis is majorly reported in Central, Eastern and Rift Valley regions.
The PS said that officers have also netted over four tonnes of the drug in bulk form in what turns out to be a confirmation of the government's worst fears in the war against narcotics.
This comes amid calls from the Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua to intensify the war on illicit liquor in the Central region, which he said has enslaved the youth who he said could be no longer productive in society if measures are not put in place.
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