- Kindiki said the closed premises were among those that had been operating without any form of license in various parts of the country.
- “We aren’t going to allow those premises to resume those activities. The crackdown and enforcement measures program continues,” Kindiki said.
Image: GEORGE OWITI
The government has so far shut down over 9,000 liquor joints in the ongoing national crackdown on illicit brews, drugs and substance abuse, Interior CS Kithure Kindiki has said.
Kindiki said the closed premises were among those that had been operating without any form of license in various parts of the country.
“We aren’t going to allow those premises to resume those activities. The crackdown and enforcement measures program continues,” Kindiki said.
He addressed the press shortly after meeting the Machakos County security and intelligence committee at Matungulu Deputy County Commissioner Everline Wekesa’s office on Friday.
Area county commissioner Josephine Ouko led the team during the CS’s visit.
Kindiki said the government has a 25–point plan to deal with illicit brews, drugs and substance abuse.
The crackdown began following a presidential directive following the death of 17 people in Kirinyaga after consuming illicit brew last month.
“We are working on flashing out any criminal elements, drug peddlers and people who are selling or consuming shisha or any other prohibited substance in the country,” Kindiki said.
He directed the Matungulu subcounty security committee supervised by the Machakos county security team led by Ouko to also check whether children especially from Nairobi or Machakos were being exposed to alcohol and dangerous drugs including pornography and child trafficking.
“Even in this town (Tala), there could be the probability of our children getting exposed to such substances because of proximity to Nairobi city,” Kindiki said.
Kindiki added;
“We are not going to remove our feet from the pedal. We will have to cleanse our country from the curse of addiction and drugs. No community or society aspires to be a prosperous society if a good proportion of its able-bodied young and energetic population has been degraded by alcohol and drugs."
He said going forward, no license of whatever type will have any validity in the Kenyan territory if it’s 300 metres to basic learning institutions that include private and public schools alike.
Kindiki said for Machakos County, the government was focusing on Tala and Matungulu towns.
He lauded both the Matungulu subcounty and Machakos county’s security and intelligence security committees for their commitment to the crackdown.
“The efforts of fighting hard drugs, illicit liquor and other security issues are going on well. We are investigating if there are criminals who hide here while escaping Nairobi operations,” Kindiki said.
Kindiki said they suspect other suspects were hidden in Machakos County planning to escape to Nairobi if security is intensified.
“Security teams here and those in Nairobi work hand in hand to make sure there are no hiding places for criminals. We are also keen to ensure that Tala due to its proximity to Nairobi isn’t used to harm our children through harmful practices including exposure to alcohol before legal age and narcotic drugs in Matungulu,” Kindiki said.