The government has issued a warning following an increase in the trafficking of second-generation brews in Nandi County.
Nandi Central Deputy County Commissioner (DCC) Saidi Shabaan said the county has lately registered an upsurge in the sale of an illicit brew known as “Kingdom Vodka” which he termed as dangerous.
He said the concoction which is being sold at Sh100 is unsafe for human consumption due to its unsafe method of preparation, adding that rogue brewers are mixing ethanol and water and later packaging it for sale to unsuspecting revellers.
Speaking during the launch of Huduma Service Week at Huduma Centre Offices in Kapsabet town, Shabaan said the government will not condone any sale of illicit alcohol and will mercilessly continue to deal with all culprits involved in the trade.
“This is a calling; please let us join forces and fight the vice with the force it deserves. If we don’t completely eradicate it, the next generation will be lost because Kingdom Vodka destroys the reproductive system of a man,” he said.
The DCC stated that the government will increase surveillance throughout the county in order to deal with the menace, adding that the culprits have devised new methods of selling the liquor to locals.
“We have information that the sellers of Kingdom Vodka have opted to hawk the commodity at night, carrying it in bags to their various customers. If they suspect that police are on their radar, they hide it in the tea plantations,” he said.
Shaban said the locally prepared brew, chang’aa and busaa, has declined, attributing the success to cooperation between local administrators and members of the public.
“This is a cross-cutting issue affecting the whole county. It is a national disaster in waiting. Let us fight it, because if we do not eradicate it, then it will kill us. As locals, if we say we don’t want the commodity in our midst, it will happen. Let us cooperate and fight this killer brew,” he said.
Shabaan called on religious leaders to make it part of their preaching in churches, adding that to fight the menace, it needs concerted efforts from all stakeholders, including security agencies and the local leadership.
“It is a national outcry, and if we work in unison, we will fight this menace and keep our next generation safe. Many youths are taking it because it is cheap,” he said.
By Linet Wafula
