By OLIVER MUSEMBI
Kiambu County Commissioner George Matundura has assured genuine bar owners that the intensified crackdown on second-generation alcoholic drinks is not targeting legitimate businesses but aims to enforce the law and protect consumers.
Matundura urged traders operating within the stipulated regulations not to panic or feel targeted by the operation, which has led to the seizure of thousands of litres of counterfeit liquor and the arrest and prosecution of scores of suspects over the past three days.
Speaking to journalists in Ruiru on the progress of the ongoing operation, the county commissioner said security officers and other relevant agencies were determined to enforce liquor regulations and safeguard consumers.
“I want to assure our traders in the liquor business, and specifically bar owners, that we are not fighting them. We only want the law to be adhered to. You should not open before or sell after the hours specified in your licences,” he said.
Matundura, who was accompanied by County Police Commander Kennedy Osando and other senior security officers, said the operation, launched last Monday, was making significant progress and would continue until harmful products were eradicated.
He said security officers had seized 130 litres of chang’aa in Ruiru over the previous two days, with three people found selling the illicit brew each fined Sh80,000.
They also confiscated 267 litres of muratina, whose owner was fined Sh105,000, he said.
“They also arrested four bar operators who were found violating the law regarding the sale of liquor, 50 persons who were found drunk and disorderly, and impounded 29 cartons of counterfeit alcoholic beverages as well as 24 rolls of bhang,” Matundura said.
He appealed to members of the public, alcoholic beverage manufacturers and bar patrons to cooperate with authorities and share information about unlicensed products being sold in the county.
“We are definitely winning the war against the sale of illicit and harmful alcoholic products. We project that in two weeks, jointly with other multi-agency teams, the exercise will be a success,” the county commissioner said.
Osando vowed that security agencies would not relent until order was restored in the liquor trade.
He cautioned bar owners against purchasing stock from suppliers whose credibility was questionable or whose products could not be traced to known physical addresses.
“Bar operators are the ones who buy alcoholic drinks from the suppliers, so they must get the right stuff. They need to ensure whoever supplies them is credible and authorised,” Osando said.
He also urged consumers to verify the authenticity of alcoholic beverages using established methods, including scanning bottle labels.
