Murang'a security accused of abetting deadly alcoholism culture

Some security officers and local government officials have been blamed for the alcoholism crisis in Murang'a, with claims that law enforcers are corrupted with bribes to turn a blind eye to brewers and sellers.

Some officers from the National Police Service, administrators and the county licensing and enforcement departments are said to be fuelling the drinking culture.

One former police officer said the drinking crisis "has become so good at preserving the dead and killing the living".

Mr Hillary Kung'u, from Kirere village, who was sacked in 2004 over alcoholism, said chemicals used in preserving bodies in mortuaries are the same ones used to make illegal brews.

In 2015, Mr Kung'u temporarily lost his eyesight after he took a brew that ended up killing seven of his village mates.

"We are losing generations to alcoholism. Families are breaking up, youths won't find families, our people cannot save and hospital and burial bills [are overwhelming] us," said Federation for African Women Educationists in Murang'a official Cecilia Gitu.

She said the proliferation of bars, illegal brewing dens and failure to enforce the law on alcoholic beverages are to blame.

"The crisis is an open wound that is publicly bleeding as our security watch," she said.

Maendeleo ya Wanawake Organisation chair Nyambura Ngugi said “nearly all of us are affected".

"It must be made very clear to the authorities that it is no longer acceptable for reckless alcoholic drinks enterprises that defy the rule of law" to continue operating, she said.

Joseph Kibugi, who champions the rights of boys in Murang’a through the Kibugi wa Ihíí Foundation, says alcoholism and drug abuse contributes to violence.

"Leaders are to blame ... in their entirety. As a result, alcoholism has deprived boys of their future,” he said. 

“Alcoholics cannot sustain marriages ... They cannot hold onto jobs and eventually this affects productivity and the country’s wealth." 

Some police officers “collect bribes to allow bars to operate outside the law” and let illicit brewers continue with their business, making alcohol easily accessible, said Murang'a Youth Action Group chairman Mr Warui Gitau said.

There have been complaints that security officers collect protection money from bar owners and illicit brew dealers to look the other way.

Drinkers can be seen trooping into bars and other drinking dens as soon as they wake up, some carrying household items to exchange for intoxicants.

Mr Gitau said it is common to see intoxicated people at any time of the day and night because "there are bars that operate for 24 hours".

When the public complains about bars flouting the law and playing loud music deep into the night, police officers respond with random swoops that lead to more corruption, with those arrested said to buy their freedom soon after they are seized.

"We want to see the county government that is responsible for licensing bars behave responsibly. We want to see the government doing something tangible to bring down runaway alcoholism in Murang'a County," Ms Gitu said.

Mr Gitau recalled that the Mwangi wa Iria administration had formed a special enforcement unit in 2014 to crack down on bars flouting the law.

"The team had started well and was getting somewhere, until it was also sucked into the culture of ineptitude and faded away. It is no longer felt in the county," he said.

Murang'a Deputy Governor Stephen Munania told Nation.Africa that there is an alcoholism crisis in Murang’a.

One region

"We have a problem that needs to be dealt with," he said.

Mr Munania, 29, said the problem differs from one region to another.

"Areas that have more unemployed people record more [drinkers]. We have a lower rate of alcoholism in the tea zones, where most residents are largely engaged in tea picking. The alcoholism problem is more ingrained in the lower zones, where poverty levels are high," he said.

He lamented that the "availability of alcohol has kept the youth and unemployed in perpetual drunkenness by patronising illicit and cheap liquor dens".

He said the county government will implement proper licensing mechanisms anchored in existing laws. 

Mr Munania added that "tackling alcoholism among the population will require a broader mindset than just insisting on” enforcing the law.

Governor Irungu Kang'ata’s government, he said, has committed to providing economic assistance to residents by offering better agribusiness returns, technical and vocational training and more support for poor families. 

Invest resources

"For serious cases, we will invest resources in rehabilitation efforts through our healthcare facilities," Mr Munania said.

When County Commissioner Karuku Ngumo launched a peace forum in Kangema sub-county last month, he said "many of these challenges only require the resolve of citizens to fight them".

He said society should actively participate in the fight against alcoholism and other vices by exerting pressure on the government and the alcohol dealers.

Mr Ngumo said residents should report to the police or other security agents any incident that undermines security.

“Report to us those who are behind those illegal activities. There is a safe digital way of reporting to us all those officers and civilians exposing you to any form of threats,” he said. 

“When those reports reach us, we always act. Those junior officers might be doing things that are not known to us but when you address them to us, action is always taken to correct the situation." 

He urged residents “to stop complaining and instead be part of the solution. You are the ones who know the criminals troubling you. Give us the information through the security toll-free number, that is 988”.

The number receives security reports on Safaricom-registered SIM cards. The sender starts the message with the name of the county followed by the sub-county, village and the security tip in brief. 

The message circulates to the Interior ministry and it instantly duplicates itself to all senior county security heads, who in turn send it to ground teams.

All this happens within less than one minute, triggering real-time response.

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