Residents of Ndaraweta in Bomet County have expressed their despair over inaction by area chiefs on tackling illicit brew menace that they blame for various ills in the society.
Augustine Lang’at the chairman Board of Management of Sogoet primary school has blamed illicit drinkers for disrupting learning at the school as children fear meeting drunks at the early hours of the morning when going to school.
“Our children fear meeting drunk and rowdy people when going to school and this is not good for them.” He said.
He added that drinking has been linked to violence in the village, where people fight after drinking to settle scores, which has somehow made the village unruly and has called for the area chief Mr. David Ruto to act and bring order to the village.
Some residents claimed that the area administrators were working in cohorts with illicit brewers in exchange of bribes for protection from arrest.
“We cannot continue seeing brewers going on with their business as if there is no rule of the law. We are even surprised that a woman who just arrived in the village recently engaging in brewing and selling of the illicit liquor and only yesterday residents threatened to lynch her but was rescued by well-wishers who demanded she stop the business immediately or vacate the village.” Mr. Lang’at said.
Jane a woman in the village said if authorities did away with the brews her their lives would be better.
“My children and I have been worried for my husband because he comes home late every night very drunk, sometimes we have to go out looking for him, he has lost several phones while drunk and we are worried over his safety.” She lamented.
Other families in the area have blamed illicit drinks for rising poverty levels as some people resort to selling family property to fund their drinking spree.
During the Madaraka day celebrations at Bomet Green stadium Bomet, deputy county commissioner Mr. Henry Metto said the presidential directive to eliminate illicit brews was still standing and he and his officers were going to step up efforts to rid the region off the brews. He assured that him and his officers will eliminate illicit brews in the community completely.