KENYA: Kenyans are not just about to sober up. Even as the tough Alcohol Control Act, otherwise known as Mututho laws enters its fifth year, a report shows many are drinking more than before.
Drinking trends show more Kenyans are drinking at home and more children are being exposed to alcohol than ever before.
Mututho laws intended to protect children from proximity to alcohol, but with the availability of non-returnable bottles and cans, it has never been easier to carry alcohol to the house.
The trends show poorer men are increasingly taking low-quality spirits, which could threaten their numbers, as happened in Russia.
At the same time, the emerging financially independent woman has been welcomed at the drinking table with open arms.
In high-rise apartment areas like Pipeline estate, bars share doors with family homes and there is a pub at every corner.
An unexpected outcome of limiting drinking hours to not later 11.00pm, has left many bars sharing premises with families. Many others are close to residential houses. For instance at a pub in Pipeline Estate in Nairobi, a patron on a Thursday evening is enjoying a drink at the bar while also helping his daughter do her homework across the narrow corridor.
At almost all the small pubs alongside Airport North Road, patrons share toilet facilities with families living in the same buildings.
Despite Kenyans appearing to be obeying the Mututho laws, official alcohol figures show otherwise, with the East African Breweries Limited (EABL) last month showing much better returns than in the previous quarter.
Last month, the beer maker reported 11 per cent profit, significantly driven by the hard stuff. A report released by the marketing research firm Euromonitor International tells of a steady growth in alcohol consumption, which is expected to continue increasing as the economy improves further.
“The alcoholic drinks market is set to expand over the forecast period as the economy is expected to grow tremendously during this time; due to bright prospects of oil in Kenya and political stability.”
This, the report says, is also being buoyed by a large young population which also provides an opportunity for growth in future consumption of alcohol.
“Innovative packaging of alcohol products launched in the previous year has encouraged home consumption of alcohol for consumers, thereby leading to higher sales during the period under review,” says Euromonitor.
SUSPECT SOURCES
The report says product packaging in disposable cans is a concept that has wide appeal among retailers as product handling is simplified and it is easy for consumers to carry drinks home.
A closer look at the EABL results released by its Chief Executive Officer Charles Ireland also paints clear lines of the growing inequality in the country. For example, the highest growth in sales, at 67 per cent, for EABL was in spirits mainly targeting the lower income earners, who are also the target for the many brands coming from all sorts of suspect sources.
Because of the much higher alcohol content in these brands compared to traditional beer, patrons get drunk much faster, requiring less time at the bar and also spending less.
American author David Beaur, writing for the World Bank, tells of what has become of Russian men following the consumption of the hard stuff for a long period.
“The former Soviet states are notorious for men’s short life expectancy, which is largely attributed to alcohol-related deaths.”
He says currently, Russia has more than twice as many women than men above the age of 65.
According to the World Health Organisation, women in Russia live on average 12 years longer than men, a larger difference than anywhere else in the world.
The second fastest-growing category of alcohol in sales for EABL are the so-called High Strength Premixes coming in sweetened flavours, beautifully packaged to welcome the modern and financially independent woman to the table.
“These women represented a majority of females found in bars and restaurants at any given time,” says a second Euromonitor report on high-end alcohol trends in Kenya.
The other area of sales growth according to the EABL statement are reserves spirits at 32 per cent, indicating a small group of rich Kenyans that is quickly pulling away and is not afraid to spend.
Another factor driving alcohol trends is the growing class consciousness and affluence among consumers, where spirits such as whisky are viewed as a class symbol, especially among the upper-income population.
This, Euromonitor says, explains the proliferation of upmarket bars offering expensive spirits and whiskys in the affluent residential areas. This would include joints such as Caramel Restaurant and Lounge at Westlands in Nairobi, which sells a bottle of Remy Martin Louis XIII at Sh1,225,000.
The statement shows after poor drinkers lost the cheaper and safer Senator brand due to high taxation, the brand is now is of marginal importance to the firm.
