Drug agency’s alcohol control proposals spark anger

The storm is brewing in Kenya on the latest proposals to control the sale and consumption of alcohol, including increasing the age of drinking from 18 to 21.

The proposed proposed bases, which were revealed on Wednesday, include a ban on the purchase of alcohol in supermarkets, restaurants and public transport. Online sale and home delivery for alcoholic beverages, as well as celebrity approvals, will also be banned.

The authorities defended the planned measures as necessary to treat drug use, especially among young people.

But many Kenyans, including those in the alcohol industry, criticized the proposals as misleading and perhaps devastating to the economy.

If approved, alcohol will only be available in bars and bars as well as stores specially licensed to sell them.

The plans were revealed by the National Campaign against alcohol and drug use (NACADA), while it was seen as one of the most alcoholic control policies in the country.

In 2022, the agency estimated that one out of every 20 Kenyans between the ages of 15 and 65 was addicted to alcohol.

In the wake of the reverse reaction against its proposals, Nacada sent a statement that shows that the draft of its policy was a “road map, not an enforcement problem”, adding that the next step is to develop an implementation plan that may involve different players.

“Any proposal requires legal support that will be subject to a comprehensive legal review,” he added.

Traders and alcohol manufacturers sharply criticized NACADA plans, warning that their implementation could lead to a crisis in this industry.

They argue that measures will lead to large -scale business losses and pushing consumers towards the illegal alcohol market.

The Association of alcoholic beverages in Kenya (ABAK) said that Nakada developed the policy project without consulting manufacturers, describing it as “exclusion” and “unrealistic”.

While expressing his support to fight alcohol use, he said it is unfortunate that manufacturers, which “could have been added valuable visions of politics”, were excluded.

Distinguished lawyer Donald Kepkor said on X that the transition to “a ban on the sale of alcohol in supermarkets, restaurants, public beaches, entertainment facilities and gasoline stations will kill the hospitality sector in Kenya.”

He added, “Tourism is driven by good food, alcohol (wine, beer, spiritual drinks) and sex.”

Kenya has made attempts to control alcohol use in the past, including through legislative attempts, although the problem with abuse has continued, as dozens of people died of harmful alcohol consumption.

In 2023, then the novice president, Rigthti Gashojoa, suggested a fundamental step to reduce alcohol use in the central region of the country, which is seen as the worst through danger, saying that the provincial governments should only allow a single bar of each town.

But the owners of the bar and restaurants complained that the government was mistaken by targeting legitimate companies. In the end, the plan collapsed.