In his fight against illict alcohol and alcoholism, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is taking up a challenge that has proved impossible for former Mt Kenya leaders.
When the then Naivasha MP John Mututho came up with the Alcoholic Drinks Control Act (2010), advocates of a sober nation were excited. Enforced with zealousness, they anticipated that within a short period, the problem of alcoholism would be tamed .
The law sought to control drinking hours and imposed a harsh licensing regime as well punitive penalties.
Today, the country is perhaps in an even worse state. In 2015, former President Uhuru Kenyatta took the alcohol menace head on and mobilised all Mt Kenya politicians to lead the fight.
But within a week, most of them had abandoned him and the war, with others closing ranks with bar owners to rail at “the war on legal business”.
The war gained heavy political connotations and is partly said to have contributed to the region’s rebellion against Mr Kenyatta .
When former Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu introduced the war in his county, he met heavy resistance. He said “this war is tough and risky for political ambitions and the networks in it are so vicious”.
Former Gatanga MP Nduati Ngugi said Mr Kenyatta stood a better chance to succeed in the war “but his own troops made peace with the vice behind his back”.
“Kenyatta had ordered more than 25 manufacturers of moonshine closed down but they were reopened in 2023 by the new government.”
Like his predecessors, signs of Mr Gachagua’s troops withdrawing are emerging, especially among governors. When he asked them to reduce licensed bar by half in Mt Kenya, none heeded.
One governor said that he has an assembly with more than 10 bar owners, while some of his campaign financiers have invested in the sector and so he did not heed the call for fear of losing allies.
But Mr Gachagua seems determined, well aware of possible consequences.
“If ensuring that we get rid of merchants of death who posture as alcohol traders in this region will make me lose popularity, so be it.
I cannot be a bystander when killer brews continue to wreak havoc among our productive population,” he said.
