I want 250ml of alcohol to retail at Sh300 - CS Kuria

Trade CS Moses Kuria has resorted to using the legal avenue to curb the illicit brew menace in the country by proposing amendments to the law.

In a statement on his Twitter handle, Kuria said he has sought amendments to have the minimum retail price of a quarter litre of wines and spirits capped at Sh300. 

"To put an end to the chronic problem of illicit Brews that is killing our people, I have forwarded to the National Treasury an amendment through the Finance Bill 2023 that the minimum retail price for 250 ML wines & spirits be Ksh300," Kuria said.

The philosophy behind the move is to make liquor unaffordable to most youth who are the main consumers of cheap alcohol.

In its quarterly newsletter for October-November 2022, the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) expressed concern over the unprecedented rise of alcohol consumption in the county.

The authority said the trend had become so worrying so much that clubs have now found their way into estates in urban areas.

Nacada said the situation had been worsened by a new clubbing phenomenon dubbed Aluta Sundays where revellers check into clubs as early as 6 am and party all day.

"Couple this with the fact that there are plans to introduce what is being touted as ‘lightbeer’ that can be taken together with meals, and we have a serious problem brewing," Nacada said.

The illicit brew menace has been a problem in the country for years now where lives have been lost in some incidents and people gone blind in others.

The family union has also disintegrated in some incidences where men abandon families or failed to perform their marital obligations.