Why alcoholic administrators' days are numbered

National government administration officers who are are found to be alcoholics could soon lose their jobs.

This is after Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i directed that all such officials be sacked, even as he signalled that they could still benefit from rehabilitation on the state's tab.

"We will help them rehabilitate while they are not our employees," he said on Thursday.

The CS spoke during the launch of a 30-day Rapid Response Initiative (RRI) on elimination of substandard and counterfeit alcoholic drinks at the Kenya School of Government in Kabete, Nairobi.

Dr Matiang'i, who was accompanied by PS Karanja Kibicho, noted that instances of public drunkenness by administration officers had become a source of embarrassment to the service and must come to an end.

To this end, he said, County Commissioners will be tasked with identifying juniors, including chiefs, who have serious drinking problems, and submitting a report on the same to the ministry for action.

"The greatest challenge in this fight is compromise amongst amongst us and some of our colleagues at the National Police Service," he said.

The Interior ministry has also identified devolution as a factor leading to increased alcoholism in the country as county governments, hungry for revenue, issue licences to pubs located in residential areas.

"The Covid 19 pandemic has led to migration of drinking venues from pubs to homes and dingy corners like some areas in Limuru," said Dr Matiang'i.

The RRI will be a nationwide intergovernmental activity informed by findings of a national survey conducted by the National Campaign Against Drug Abuse (Nacada) in 2017.

A survey showed that alcohol abuse is rampant in all regions with Nairobi County leading at 42.3 per cent, followed by Western region at 39.3 per cent and Rift Valley at 33.1 per cent.

PS Karanja Kibicho warned politicians against using illicit liquor to win over youths during their campaigns.

"The season where liquor will be made very cheap to target the youth is here but we will not watch it happen," he said.