Counties

Central economic bloc proposes harmonisation of alcohol laws

illicit

An illicit brewery along River Chania in Nyeri on April 1. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI | NMG

The Central Region Economic Bloc (Cereb) has proposed the harmonisation of alcohol regulations in its member counties.

This is the latest attempt in the fight against alcoholism that continues to cripple the region economically.

The proposed rules will regulate the production, sale, distribution and consumption of alcoholic drinks in a region still weighed down by lethal illegal brews.

The bloc draws its membership from Nakuru, Kiambu, Nyandarua, Meru, Nyeri, Muranga, Embu, Kirinyaga, Laikipia and Tharaka Nithi counties.

In the proposal, Cereb chief executive Ndirangu Gachunia said if the proposed regulations are applied in all the counties, they will prevent the transfer of the problem from one county to another.

“The region has been grappling with the issue of alcoholism which has affected our economy greatly. If one county has strict rules on alcoholism and the other does not, people could move and go drinking in the neighbouring county because they can easily crisscross the boundaries,” he said.

The central region is bedevilled by ever-increasing sale and consumption of lethal brews despite the existence of individual county laws to tame the trend.

Licensing of alcoholic drinks outlets at the county level is remains heavily saddled with multiple challenges, most of them triggered by a conflict of interest between regulators seeking to expand revenue streams and thousands of licensees seeking to earn a living.

This has left thousands of youth caught in the middle, creating a loophole for illicit brews.