Survey shows that fifty percent of liqour in the country has not been tested by KBS

By Antony Gitonga

A national survey conducted by NACADA on various forms of liquor indicates that fifty percent of them have not been tested by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KBS).

In disturbing revelations, the anti-drugs body established that the brews which were readily available in the market were not fit for consumption.

According to the authority chairman John Mututho, a special report painted a grim picture in the lucrative industry.

Mututho said that they took a random 162 samples of various brews across the country where the drinks were analyzed by the government chemist.

“We did a research where we found that out of the 162 samples taken 52 percent were not fit for human consumption,” he said.

He said that they would hand over the list of brewers to the director of public prosecutions with a view of having them investigated and arraigned in court.

The former Naivasha Mp expressed his concern over an increase in brews packaged in plastic bottles.

According to him, there were over 500 types of brews packed in plastic bottles a move he termed as a health hazard.

“The move to pack liquor in plastic bottles gives unscrupulous traders a chance to sell unfit brews and NACADA is against this idea,” he said.

On the report, Mututho added that some of the leading brewers in the country were yet to hand over their samples to NACADA as per the law.

“The law requires that every brewer hands over a sample of their brews to NACADA but unfortunately this has not been followed,” he said.

He revisited the death of one man in Mai Mahiu Naivasha saying that he had been taking a brew from one of the leading liquor company in the country.

The chairman called for police to conduct full investigations into the death which left many in fear and shock.

At the same time a major crackdown on illicit brews in Mai Mahiu saw over 1,000 litres of chang’aa and busaa nabbed.

During the operation carried out by administration police officers 12 people found drinking against the stipulated time were arrested.

Naivasha DC Mohammed Abass said that the crackdown would continue and called on bar owners to obey the law.