NACADA warns of national crackdown as more minors in Nairobi access alcohol illegally.

The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) has raised an urgent alarm about the rising trend of minors obtaining alcohol in Nairobi.

They are said to obtain the alcoholic beverages illegally by using mobile money transactions at outlets located in petrol stations in Lavington, Kileleshwa, Kilimani and Ngong Road Estates. This helps them bypass the verification process of customer’s ages, as it is often assumed that anyone with mobile money is over 18 years old.

“Selling alcohol to minors is strictly prohibited and violation of this attracts a fine of up to Sh150,000 or imprisonment for up to 12 months or both. Section 32 (4) mandates operators of alcohol selling establishments to demand proof of age through valid identification before serving the customer,” warns NACADA CEO Dr. Antony Omwerikwa.

THE CEO says as people approach the festive season, the board is committed to protect the youth, and will conduct national crackdowns in collaborations with other enforcement agencies to ensure strict adherence to the law.

“We urge the public to remain vigilant and report any outlets illegally selling alcohol to minors. To reports violations or seek assistance on alcohol or drug related issues, contact us through the toll-free helpline 1192,” he added.

Current prevalence of drugs and substance use among the youth aged 15–24 years in Kenya according to the national survey on the “Status of Drugs and Substance Use (DSU) in Kenya, 2022 indicate that one in every 11 youths aged 15–24 years (632,846) were currently using at least one drug or substance of abuse; with one in every 20 youths aged 15 – 24 years (367,608) were currently using alcohol.

Generally, the survey has it that one in every eight Kenyans aged 15 – 65 years (3,199,119) were currently using alcohol. Men are most affected as one in every five males aged 15 – 65 years (2,511,763) as compared to women where one in every 20 females (687,356) were currently using alcohol.

When it comes to regions, Western region had the highest prevalence of current use of alcohol (23.8 per cent) having the highest prevalence use of chang’aa (11.4 per cent).