Bill to strip counties of bar licensing in the offing
Alcohol prices are set to rise after a court threw out a bid to suspend the proposed increase of fees on excise duty stamps.
What you need to know:
- DP Rigathi Gachagua says changes in the law will also protect governors from bar operators, who he described as "serious political operatives".
- DP said bars and their activities pose a serious threat to national security.
The government is preparing an amendment before the National Assembly to transfer the mandate to license bars and other liquor businesses to the national government.
The function is currently under county governments.
However, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has said there will be room to involve governors in the process of amending the Alcoholic Beverages Control Act (2010) to allow the National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada) to take over the role.
"We have instructed the Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah to initiate the amendments to the law because we want it to be a national government law so that it can move with speed," Mr Gachagua said.
Mr Gachagua, who was speaking in Mombasa during the Coast region conference on ending illicit brews, drugs and substance abuse, said the move will also help county leaders in resource mobilisation as they will be allowed to collect all revenue from the licensed outlets.
He said the changes in the law will also protect governors from bar operators, who he described as "serious political operatives".
"These bars and their activities pose a serious threat to national security, we can no longer leave this function to the county governments. We will amend the law and return the function to the national government," Mr Gachagua added.
He said the national government is superior to the county governments and, therefore, in areas where the two levels conflict, the national law prevails over county laws.
"If the national government says there should not be a licensed bar next to a school, then we will close it down and declare it null and void because it is against the law," he said.
These sentiments were echoed by the Inspector General of Police, Japheth Koome, who insisted that the damage caused by drug abuse was a threat to national security.
"I know politicians will hate me, but the office of the IG is not a political contest and I don't need to be popular. This is a security issue and our people are dying at the expense of votes. We need the law to return to the old ways," said Mr Koome.
Home Affairs Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki also reiterated that the menace of illicit alcohol, narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances is a national security challenge and a threat to the survival of the country's future.
"As a matter of policy, security officers and administrators who enable the production, sale and consumption of killer brews and hard drugs through their actions and/or omissions will not be transferred to other jurisdictions. They will be immediately dismissed and prosecuted per the law," said Prof Kindiki.
At the same time, the government says that conscientious and patriotic security and national government officials who detect, disrupt and arrest those behind the illicit trade will be recognised and honoured with promotions and state awards.
The conference comes at a time when there is an ongoing national conversation on drug and substance abuse.
Two weeks ago, Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru ordered the closure of all bars in the county for re-vetting and licensing following the deaths of 17 people who had consumed illicit alcohol at Kangai village.
However, the bars reopened six days later.
