Inside Kabarnet’s ‘Zombie Street’: Baringo’s den of alcohol, drugs and crime

What began as a busy commercial street in the heart of Baringo Central has turned into a 24-hour den of vice, with women drinking with babies on their backs, youth lost to drugs, and a community grappling with violent crime thriving in broad daylight in full view of a silent government.

Read: 'Alcohol cost me a teaching job and ruined my family'

Locals call it 'Zombie Street,’ a name coined from the dazed addicts, drunken mothers, street fights, and children sleeping beside their drunk mothers next to liquor dens that sell through windows at dawn.

Rebecca Chepchieng, a trader whose business is located just a few blocks from the street, terms it a no-go zone at night.

“The activities on Zombie Street are like the biblical ‘Sodom and Gomorrah’. Despite being at the centre of town, you are left wondering how women spend the night on the street with children in the name of alcoholism and prostitution. It is very sad because the minors end up consuming what their parents take, and all of this happens in full view of the authorities,” she said.

During a visit on a recent Tuesday morning, we found several women, many of them visibly intoxicated, sprawled across a verandah outside a wines and spirits shop at around 8.30am. A few metres away, a woman with a baby strapped to her back stood alongside several men as they were served alcohol through a locked window.

The door to the premises remained closed from inside, a tactic commonly used by vendors to avoid being arrested for selling beyond designated times. Yet even in secrecy, business was thriving.

Just steps away, another group was chewing khat under a makeshift shanty that reportedly operates around the clock. Men sat by a fence passing around a bottle of cheap liquor, some engaged in physical fights, while others lay unconscious beside the tarmac, already overwhelmed by the cheap liquor.

As the sun rose higher, the chaos escalated. A group of four women, two of them carrying small children, began yelling and fighting, drawing a small crowd. Bystanders later explained that the altercation was over a male ‘client’.

Read: 'I can't get out': Inside Kenya's gambling addiction crisis

Ms Chepchieng said the street is a magnet for alcoholics, drug addicts, and criminals, as well as a haven for sex workers. Muggers and petty thieves also flock the area, preying on intoxicated individuals and unsuspecting passersby.

She says that she often closes her shop early due to fear of insecurity.

“It becomes very dangerous after dark. People walking home are often robbed, raped, or assaulted. The criminals take advantage of the addicts and also target innocent people,” she said.

A spot check by Daily Nation revealed that even the streetlights recently installed by the county had been vandalised, and residents believe it was deliberately destroyed to conceal the criminal and illicit activities that occur under the cover of darkness.

Mr Joseph Wanoma, a long-time Kabarnet resident, said, “You will see women here with babies on their backs overnight, drinking, smoking, using drugs.”

“Others have turned into sex workers, idling around waiting for clients. The name ‘Zombie Street’ came from how they move; some people don’t even go home anymore. They have left work, families, everything, just to stay here chewing khat or taking bhang,” he said.

Read: CS Murkomen: Drugs, gangs are Kenya’s top security threats

Mr Wanoma expressed concern over the 24-hour operations of several wines and spirits shops in the area. “How can such joints operate day and night? Who licensed them? And why haven’t the police shut them down?”

He called on the government to regulate operating hours, conduct routine patrols, and take firm action, especially against women who expose children to dangerous environments.

“Even toddlers are seen sleeping in the open, next to their drunk mothers. If this is not stopped, it will become worse. What began as a drinking and drugs den is now a full-blown security threat,” he said.

Isaiah Biwott, a human rights activist and Executive Director of the Citizen Participation Forum (CIPAF), said many of the people on the street are not there by choice, but are victims of long-standing abuse and social rejection.

“I had the opportunity to speak to some of those who have been labelled ‘zombies’ on that street. Most of them are emotionally broken. They have experienced rape, defilement, neglect, and even abandonment by their families. They use drugs and alcohol as a way to escape,” he said.

He said the majority of women on the street were victims of sexual violence at a young age.

“Some were defiled, impregnated, and then rejected. They gave birth, but had no support. Eventually, they ended up here, trying to survive and drown their pain with alcohol and drugs. It is heart-breaking, and many of them have to carry their children with them because they have nowhere else to go,” he said.

Mr Biwott called on the government, churches, and civil society organisations to stop sidelining the affected and instead invest in support and rehabilitation programmes. “These people need structured help. They are not just addicts; they are victims of deeper social and economic injustice,” he said.

Mr Juma Khwatenge, the Baringo County Gender and Affirmative Action Officer, said that some women have abandoned their homes and children to spend days and nights on the street.

“It is not a good practice. Parents are loitering here while their children are left unattended. The prostitution levels are high, and so are muggings and robberies. These people have become like zombies; they spend their time drinking, and the little money they make goes to cheap liquor and drugs, not their families,” he said.

According to the officer, the situation has already claimed lives.

“Two men recently died from frequent drinking here. This is no longer just about addiction; it is a health and security crisis,” he said, urging the national government to tighten regulation of bar operations and invest in rehabilitation.

“Some joints are open 24/7. That alone should raise questions. If you walk there at night, it’s shocking that such a place exists in the middle of a county headquarters.”

Reached for comment, Baringo County Commissioner Stephen Kutwa acknowledged that regulations exist regarding operating hours for wine and spirits joints.

“I am not aware of this particular street, but I will follow it up personally. They are not supposed to operate all day and night. Police should intensify patrols and ensure that addicts and idlers are removed from the area,” he said.

However, for residents such as Ms Chepchieng and Mr Wanoma, the problem has already spiralled. They claim that the current state of 'Zombie Street' is not only a reflection of lax enforcement, but also an indication that society is failing its most vulnerable members.

“If nothing is done, then soon this town will lose more than just a street. We will lose an entire generation,” Ms Chepchieng said.

[email protected]