On Saturday night, a multi-agency security team led by the national police and officers from the Uasin Gishu County Alcoholic Drinks Control Board raided a house in the rather tranquil Eastern Avenue estate in Eldoret.
Inside the house, a few metres from the residences of the county commissioner and the county police commander, the team found more than 19 drums of ethanol and 77 cartons of two brands of second-generation liquor.
The occupant of the house is a 58-year-old woman who was arrested in connection with a home-made illegal brewery, where the illicit brew worth Sh1.5 million was seized. The woman has since been charged in court.
The Eastern Avenue compound on Lumumba Avenue where the seizure took place is home to many of Uasin Gishu County's top security officials.
It has now emerged that the illegal brewers have abandoned the low-income residential areas where such activities were prevalent and are now operating out of houses in posh and upscale residential areas, where they produce and package the brews, as well as peddling drugs in Eldoret town.
According to Turbo Sub-County Commander Edward Masibo, the illegal brewers are taking advantage of the assumption that such estates are usually not suspected of hosting such activities.
Mr Masibo said the illegal traders hide behind the tranquillity of these estates to ply their illegal trade.
“We have realised that there are smart illicit traders who are thriving in illicit business in high-end estates and we have intensified our crackdown on such estates,” he said.
Elgon View, Kapsoya, Hill Side and Kenmosa are among the estates in Eldoret known to be home to thriving illegal breweries.
According to the police, residents in such estates are less concerned about what their neighbours are doing, and so criminals prefer to ply their trade in such environments.
In the weekend haul, 19 barrels of ethanol are suspected to have been used in the production of fake alcohol brands Silver Star and Golden Dream — both second-generation liquor.
"Acting on a tip-off from a credible informant regarding the production and packaging of second generation alcoholic beverages, our team swung into action and we were able to recover 19 drums of ethanol and 77 cartons of counterfeit liquor," Mr Masibo said.
Director of the Alcoholic Drinks Control Board Uasin Gishu County, Mr Koiya Arap Maiyo said many high-end estates have been converted into production dens of illicit second-generation alcoholic drinks, following a sustained multi-agency crackdown on the businesses. "The days of unscrupulous production and sale of illegal brews and second generation liquor are over. We will deal firmly and decisively with all those found culpable, regardless of where they ply their illicit trade — whether in posh estates or in the villages," he warned.
Uasin Gishu County Commissioner Eddyson Nyale and County Police boss Benjamin Mwanthi have since ordered police to intensify the fight against illicit brewing in the county.
In July 2022, police in Eldoret discovered bhang being grown in a house in Elgon View Estate, one of the town's posh estates. They found 21 cannabis plants in the main bedroom, 68 in the living room, 14 in the dining room and 26 in an iron-sheet shed nearby.
Last month, Rift Valley leaders appealed to the government to extend an ongoing crackdown on illicit brews and drugs in Central Kenya counties to the region, citing a rise in drug abuse.
The leaders warned that youths who consume the substances are being turned into zombies and warned of a looming crisis if the menace is not tackled immediately.
Elgeyo Marakwet Senator William Kisang and Keiyo North MP Adams Kipsanai called on the government to declare a national crackdown on drugs and substance abuse, saying the whole country was affected.
"As leaders, we are concerned about the next generation. There is an infiltration of substandard drinks into the market by unscrupulous traders and illegal brewers. Our towns and villages are affected," said Mr Kisang.
Kesses MP Julius Ruto said the fight against drug abuse should not be a knee-jerk reaction, but should be well thought out and backed by strengthened legislation to catch the perpetrators of the trade.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki said the government was determined to end illicit brewing and drug abuse in the country.
"We will not entertain individuals who have turned our youths into zombies with drugs and alcohol laced with harmful substances. We will deal with such individuals with the ruthlessness we have dealt with bandits and terrorists," he said.
"As a country, we need a productive generation of the future," said Prof Kindiki.
