Gachagua: I am ready to sacrifice my role to save Kenya from alcoholism

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. [Standard, File]

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has issued a stern warning against the sale of illicit alcohol, saying he is willing to sacrifice his position to combat substance abuse.

Speaking during a church service at PCEA Gateway Parish in Roysambu on Sunday, March 10, Gachagua said he was ready to face the consequences of his stance against the production of the outlawed liquor.

"I am prepared to lose my job if it means saving our nation from this menace," said Gachagua.

"I was not born in the Deputy President position; I just recently got it. All those other years, I was living a normal life, eating and drinking. It is not a must that I stay there forever," he said.

Gachagua said his office was committed to fostering a society of industrious and respectable citizens free from the grip of alcoholism.

"Leading a nation of inebriates is no honour," he noted.

Gachagua's statement comes even as the government has halted all second-generation alcohol permits from the Kenya Revenue Authority and Kenya Bureau of Standards (KBS).

21 days for the re-evaluation of existing licenses have been set to crack down on illegal alcohol, drugs, and substance misuse.

"We risk losing a whole generation to addiction," Gachagua warned.

A statement by the Interior Ministry on March 7, 2023, further announced that only 55 local companies have valid standardisation permits from KEBS to run operations.