Importers and exporters of all alcoholic drinks in the country will now be required to get a licence from the regulatory body, the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse- NACADA.
This follows a resolution by a multi-agency team comprising representatives from the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government, The Kenya Revenue Authority, Kenya Bureau of Standards-KEBS, Council of Governors (CoG) and other bodies involved in the regulation of international trade.
Victor Okioma, CEO of NACADA, said the regulatory body is aware that some county governments have been issuing importation and exportation licences to manufacturers against the letter and spirit of constitutional provisions on international trade as it relates to alcoholic drinks businesses.
"This licence by NACADA will streamline the industry by providing details of the alcoholic drink manufacturer, brand origin, batch number among other considerations to facilitate tracking of products through the value chain. What we as the regulator are mostly concerned about is the health and safety of the consumer from unscrupulous businesses,” said Okioma.
This development comes after the Authority took over the functions of licensing manufacturers and importers of alcoholic drinks after the Inter-Governmental Relations Technical Committee (IGRTC), which is the successor of the defunct Transition Authority (TA), advised that the liquor licensing function ought to be unbundled to enable the national and county governments take up the areas that fall within their respective constitutional mandates.
NACADA has already notified industry players and the public that henceforth all licensing functions relating to importation and exportation of alcoholic drinks will be under its mandate.
In a recent meeting with the Association of Beer and Alcoholic Drinks Manufacturers of Kenya (ABAK), Okioma, reiterated the need for protection of consumers from counterfeit and illicit alcoholic drinks which proliferated the industry in the past.
He said a big part of the problem stems from licensing issues especially as implemented by county governments.
"The need for industry players to adhere to provisions of the Alcoholic Drinks Control Act, 2010 has never been more prominent as during the current Covid-19 pandemic. Among the containment measures was closure of bars which resulted in alcoholic drinks consumers stocking alcohol at home. In his latest address to the nation, the President banned reopening of bars after escalation of coronavirus infections in the country," he said.
East African Breweries Limited, Corporate Affairs Director Eric Kiniti, who also doubles as the Secretary for ABAK, called for regular discussions and consensus building to protect all interested parties and stakeholders.
He affirmed that EABL, as a major player in the alcoholic drinks industry, will rally all ABAK members to apply for the licence in line with guidelines set forth by the Act.
Kiniti decried practices by some importers who import alcoholic drinks without complying with requirements by KEBS and KRA.
