Trans Nzoia County Commissioner Samson Ojwang has asked chang’aa brewers and drug peddlers to own up to chiefs and their assistants to help them drop the practice.
Speaking at a baraza at St. Emmanuel Secondary School in Namanjalala location in Kwanza Sub County Friday, the county commissioner asked them to look for alternative businesses.
Ojwang urged women to form women groups and take loans from government kitties to start businesses and abandon chang’aa brewing.
“Desist from listening to leaders who encourage you to brew and take illicit brews and find alternative solutions to your problems,” he advised.
Mr. Ojwang dismissed excuses by residents who said that poverty was the cause of illicit brews in the area.
“You need energy to do work that will flash out poverty in your homes, how will you be able to work and put food on the table if you are forever drunk,” he said.
“As a government we want to find solutions to your problems, I want to urge the youth to also form groups and come to my office for assistance… we have the youth fund and you young people should benefit from it,” he said.
St. Emmanuel secondary school is located at the heart of Falkland area that has been notorious for chang’aa brewing and drug peddling.
During the baraza, a woman notorious for brewing chang’aa owned up and the county commissioner led other leaders in fundraising for her some money to start an alternative business.
We are going to assist this woman to register a company and encourage her to take up tenders at government offices,”…this woman you are seeing today will never be the same again,” he said.
Women present formed groups and were encouraged by the administrator to register the groups and seek loans at the women enterprise and UWEZO funds.
He asked chiefs to identify women and men who engage in chang’aa brewing and consumption to assist them to willfully abandon illegal business for other more productive businesses.
The liquor function was devolved in the 2010 constitution and Trans Nzoia county government has passed a law that will help regulate local brews
By Pauline Ikanda