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Illicit alcohol outpaces legal booze as Kenya loses billions in taxes
Alcoholic Beverages Association of Kenya (ABAK) chairman Eric Githua (right) confers with Beverly Opwora (left), from the State Department of Interior and National Administration, and ABAK secretary Eric Kiniti, during the launch of the 2025 Euromonitor Report on Illicit Alcohol Trade in Nairobi on May 13, 2025.
Photo credit: Francis Nderitu | Nation Media Group
Kenyans are now drinking more illegal alcohol than legally produced beverages, a new report shows, as rising prices and accessibility challenges push consumers underground.
But while affordability remains the main driver, the surge in illicit alcohol use is raising alarm over growing public health risks—from fatal ethanol fortification to widespread bacterial contamination.
