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Illicit brews flood North Rift as rogue officers aid cartels
Many people who are dependent on cheap, illicit brews, would like to kick the habit but are reluctant to seek counselling services for fear that people might think they have lost their minds. GRAPHIC | NATION
Security teams in the North Rift region have unearthed a racket involving the importation of illicit brews from neighbouring countries, despite the introduction of hefty penalties by the government against those flouting the law.
The syndicate is said to involve some rogue national security officials who collude with cartels to supply illicit brews and drugs to the local market.
Investigations by Nation revealed that dealers have secret arrangements with suppliers who deliver the illicit brews to designated points.
The banned brews are sneaked into the country through porous border points using transit vehicles and are supplied to specific “loyal” clients who are ready to protect the trade.
“The illicit brews are repackaged and sold alongside other drinks to avert possible arrest and prosecution,” said David Maina from Eldoret while displaying some of the illicit brews.
Police in Eldoret have impounded several litres of illicit brews imported from a neighbouring country and arrested scores of suspects. Most of them have been arraigned in court and fined.
The trade in illicit brew is also on the rise in Trans Nzoia County, with County Commissioner Gideon Oyagi warning that the government will not negotiate with cartels and urging those involved to find alternative sources of livelihood.
“The illicit brews are destroying the young generation, and those dealing in the trade should either abandon it or face the full force of the law,” Mr Oyagi said in Kapsirowa, Cherangany.
Areas mapped for crackdowns include Lokodos in Cherangany, Namanjalala and Folkland in Kwanza Sub-county, and informal settlements within Kitale town.
Some schoolchildren, street families, hawkers and boda boda operators reportedly act as links between cartels and consumers of illicit brews and drugs.
“We have developed a multi-agency campaign to combat drug addiction and the consumption of illicit brews, which slow down development in the region,” said Mr Oyagi.
Some of the illicit brews sold in Kitale town and its environs are sourced from neighbouring Bungoma and Busia counties and are transported at night with the help of dishonest police officers who offer protection to the cartels.
“Some of the illicit brews are sold in sachets in Kachibora and are harmful to human health,” said Kipchumba Birir, the Member of County Assembly for Chepsiror/Kiptoror Ward in Cherangany.
Security teams in the region last year impounded several litres of illicit brews smuggled into the country from Uganda.
