Nairobi — The five counties of Central Kenya will have a new law on regulation of alcohol by the end of June 30, 2023, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has said.
Speaking during a consultation with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP), National Government Administration Officers and senior security chiefs from the counties of Murang'a, Kiambu, Nyeri, Nyandarua, and Kirinyaga at the Kenya School of Government, Kabete, the Deputy President said the new laws at the counties will enhance the fight against illicit brew in the region.
The meeting was also attended by representatives of Kenya Revenue Authority, Kenya Bureau of Standards, Anti-Counterfeit Authority the National Campaign Against Drugs and Substance Abuse Authority (NACADA), among others.
The announcement came days after he hosted a consultation with more than 245 Members of County Assemblies and the Speakers of the five counties at his home in Iruri, Nyeri County on Friday. National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wa was also in attendance.
"In our meeting with MCAs, four representatives from each county were selected. They will meet in Naivasha next week together with the Director of Public Prosecution, Director of Criminal Investigations and other legal experts to come up with a draft law. The law must be in place by June 30, 2023," the Deputy President said.
The draft law will be subjected to public participation before presentation on the floor of the Assemblies of the five counties to further discussion and passage as per the procedures, the Deputy President said.
During the meeting with the MCAs, Mr Gachagua said Mr Ichung'wa will join the stakeholder in the retreat in Naivasha to ensure than the Bill in regulation of alcohol is in line with the existing laws at the national level.
According to the Deputy President, the new law, which will be uniform in the five counties will be introduce punitive measures.
"We want them to introduce stringent punishment for producers, distributors and consumers of illicit alcohol," Gachagua said.
Apart from permanent shut down of illegal brew producing premises, he said the new law will also explore ways if vehicles transporting illicit alcohol can be forfeited to the State.
While announcing recovery strategies, the Deputy President challenged the officers not to be compromised in the war against drugs and illicit brew.
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"Treatment is expensive. It can range from Sh50,000 to over Sh1120,000 per month. We have spoken to the governors of the five counties on registering the drugs and alcohol users into NHIF plan in treatment and rehabilitation," he said.
This was the fourth multi-agency consultative meeting the Deputy President has held over ending illicit brew since the Government declared war on Illicit brew. In the past meetings, there were claims that the criminal justice system, especially after arrests and investigations, were the weak link.
The Deputy President said, the Ruto Administration is committed to independence of institutional including the ODPP. But there is need to wok together for the public good, and this should not be construed to mean interference.
On his part, the DPP Nordin Haji, said cases flop because of poor investigations. He, however, added that blames will not yield the fruits the country seeks, hence the need for a seamless multi-agency collaboration.
"In a file, there must be evidence. Let us have joint training on the issue to look out for and even consult before arrests," he said adding that such joint initiatives will ensure the right evidence is collected to prosecution.
He added that there I need to engage the court users committee for a discussion on how to effectively and efficiently handle the cases related to alcohol.
Central Kenya region was selected due to the high number of the people using illicit brew. This is a model region, and the experience in fighting illicit alcohol and drugs will eb replicated to other regions like South Rift, Coast, Mount Kenya East, Western, among others.
