MPs demands government action over growing proliferation of adulterated alcohol

Samburu West MP Naisula Lesuuda.[File, Standard]

Members of Parliament have questioned the measures taken by the Government to address the growing proliferation of adulterated alcoholic drinks in the country, as debate on substandard liquor persists.

Samburu West MP Naisula Lesuuda last week sought a statement from the National Assembly Committee on Administration and Internal Security regarding the proliferation of adulterated alcohol drinks, amid increased reports of unscrupulous individuals purportedly engaging in the production, distribution and sale of adulterated alcoholic beverages.

Lesuuda said these adulterated alcoholic drinks expose unsuspecting customers to serious health risks, including permanent disabilities and loss of life.

“It is against this background that I seek a statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security on the following: the measures that the government has put in place to identify, track, intercept and destroy adulterated alcoholic drinks before they reach the consumers,” Lesuuda said.

She also wants the Committee to respond to the measures that have been taken by the Anti-Counterfeit Authority, the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KeBS) and other relevant regulatory and enforcement agencies to ensure that alcoholic beverages available in the market meet the prescribed quality, safety and health standards.

Similarly, she is seeking the steps that have been taken by national government agencies in collaboration with the county governments to identify and dismantle the networks involved in the manufacture, distribution and sale of adulterated alcoholic beverages, specifying the actions taken against the persons responsible.

“I seek a statement on the number of reported cases of poisoning, serious illness and fatalities associated with the consumption of adulterated alcoholic drinks, including the brands or products involved, the findings of laboratory analysis conducted on the affected products, the substances detected and action taken, if any,” she said.

The committee will also be expected to respond to the question of surveillance, inspection and enforcement mechanisms currently in place to curb the manufacture, distribution and sale of adulterated or substandard alcoholic drinks, including an assessment of their effectiveness in deterring offenders and protecting consumers.

Ugenya MP, David Ochieng, who chaired the session in the National Assembly, told the Leader of the Majority Party, Kimani Ichungw’ah to handle the matter, given its magnitude and the impact it has had in the country.

“This has been with us for a long time, and that is why I am putting it on your (Ichung’wah’s) desk. I do not know whether you named these drinks in your statement... Did you name them? Ochieng asked Lesuuda.

But Lesuuda said she had sought to have the question addressed by the committee, noting that these are not just those sold in liquor shops at a lower price but also those at high-end places.

Ichung’wah agreed with Lesuuda’s statement, saying that the country has a big problem with illicit alcohol.

He said he proposed a bill in 2015, which is now an Act of Parliament, which was called the Alcoholic Drinks Amendment Bill, 2015, which first recognized alcoholism as a disease.

“The people we see consuming these illicit brews, many of them are sick but the challenge has been what the Ministry of Health ought to be doing and we must deal with this matter holistically, from a health perspective but also administrative and security perspective... which are these illicit brews,” he said.

The Majority Leader also said that this process should extend beyond the illicit brews because many people are consuming legal brands, but some are fake.

He said branded bottles are being used to repackage in people’s backyards, even as he referred to an incident in his constituency, where the public demolished two small bars after a young man was stabbed by another after a fight.

He insisted on the need for the Ministry of Health to join in and help people suffering from alcoholism, adding that rehabilitation of such people must be enhanced.

“There is a need to enforce the existing laws - what KeBS are doing. The fake revenue stamps are being sold by people who seemingly are doing well along Kiambu Road, and they are known,” he said.

“KeBS has been dealing with the issue of revenue stamps for the last four years, and the matter is never resolved. People are still printing revenue stamps, affixing on fake alcohol and selling to people believing that the stamps are genuine. Where is Kenya Revenue Authority in this matter?” he posed.

On licensing of bars, the Majority Leader said this is a matter that county governments can never run away from because they have used licensing as a revenue stream.

“The statement by Lesuuda is something we cannot brush off. I will be asking the chairperson of the security committee, because NACADA and other agencies, to cause them to speak to this matter and answer Lesuuda,” he said.

“Let us desist from what I have seen from some politicians, from just speaking about alcoholism. For instance, Samburu is not in the Mt Kenya region. Marsabit is not in the Mt Kenya region. The issue of drugs in Isiolo, Marsabit, is a big problem.  I have not heard a single politician from this region saying it is the government that has brought drugs to our people to finish them,” he said.

He called for the need to think about offering solutions, like what Lesuuda has done, to challenge those in positions of authority, whether KeBS or the Ministry of Health, to come up with measures to help in implementing existing laws and improve on them, where needed.

“I will pick up that matter with the two committees so that we have more of a multi-sectoral approach to this problem, because it is indeed a big problem, not just in Samburu, but across the entire region. There is no place you go in this country and not find young men who are drunk during the day,” he added.

Nominated MP, Irene Mayaka said that although there is a provision to scan the alcoholic drink, there are instances where it does not give the right information.

“If you take a look at TikTok and some of the stories there about fake alcohol, stories narrated by even doctors, how people die because of partaking fake alcohol. There is this thing in alcoholic drinks, you can scan. But when you scan, it doesn't give you any information. And you have the choice to return the drink to the person who is selling it to you,” she said.

Mayaka, however, was concerned that many people may not have this knowledge to scan to confirm whether or not a drink is fake and called for investigations into this matter.