- The brewing den supplies the drink in Gatundu, Ruiru and Juja subcounties.
- Three brewers and the owner of distillery arrested during Friday raid.
Image: JOHN KAMAU
A multi-agency security team confiscated local brews estimated to cost Sh1.5 million in a raid in Gatundu South, Kiambu county.
The team led by Gatundu South deputy county commissioner Stanley Kamande and Nacada central region manager Amos Warui arrested three brewers and the owner of the distillery during the Friday raid.
Kamande said that the team acting on a tip-off from members of the public ambushed the brewing den and managed to nab 500 litres of chang’aa and 4,000 litres of Kangara.
The administrator said that authorities in Gatundu had been tracing the brewers who had defied crackdowns to wipe out brewing, sale and consumption of the illicit liquor in President Uhuru Kenyatta’s backyard.
Kamande said the brewing den, situated between Gathage and Mugutha villages in Gatundu South and Juja constituencies, has been supplying the brews in Gatundu, Ruiru and Juja subcounties.
“Members of the public confidentially gave us crucial information that enabled us to waylay the brewers and ambushed them as they were making the illegal brew. The long arm of the law has finally caught up with the owner of this illegal joint and he will face the full wrath of the law,” Kamande said.
He said the suspects would be arraigned on Monday.
“We will make sure that they are locked up for a very long time. This will deter others engaging in this illegal trade and ensure that the vice is wiped out from our community,” the commissioner said.
Nacada Central region manager Warui said the authority had reached out to the Judiciary to have illegal brews traders and drug peddlers get stiff penalties whenever they are arraigned.
“We have been engaging the Judiciary and explaining to them the magnitude of these problems so that as they prosecute and make judgments on these cases, we can have stiffer penalties to discourage those who are doing this illegal trade because they are destroying generations,” Warui said.
He called on Kenyans to participate in the fight against illicit brews and drug abuse by providing information to the authorities for appropriate measures to be taken.
“These substances are destroying our children and our communities therefore everyone should own up the fight to eradicate the menace,” he said.
Edited by Henry Makori