Twenty-four out of 29 distillers and manufacturers of second-generation alcohol risk having their licenses revoked if they don't comply with government guidelines, Interior CS Kithure Kindiki has said.
The government through the Ministry of Interior has given the distillers 21 days from Monday, April 8, 2024, to comply.
"Licences, permits and authorizations for the 24 entities remain suspended up to and until all the compliance issues are satisfactorily addressed within 21 days effective Monday, April 8, 2024failure to which the licences, permits and authorizations shall stand to revoke," Kindiki said in a statement Friday.
This was arrived at after the government conducted a vetting process for all 29 active manufacturers and distillers of second-generation alcohol.
Last month, Interior CS announced that licenses, permits and authorizations for the manufacture and distillery of second-generation alcohol, were to undergo fresh vetting.
The vetting was to take place 21 days after March 6, 2024, to ensure compliance of establishments with security, safety, health, labour, environmental and other standards as defined in relevant National laws.
Revealing details on Friday, Kindiki said that the vetting process was carried out by eight agencies: National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA), Kenya Bureau of Standards(KEBS) and Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA).
Others are the Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services (DOSHS), the AntiCounterfeit Agency (ACA), the Public Health Department, the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA)and the Department of Weights and Measures.
The CS also revealed that only 2 out of 29 distillers and manufacturers of second-generation alcohol passed the vetting by the multi-agency team and were allowed to continue with production
Three manufacturers and distillers of second-generation alcohol were allowed to resume production, subject to meeting specific requirements outlined to them.
In February, Kindiki ranked the illicit brew menace with bandits and terrorists.
The CS said that he would be very ruthless with the war against illicit brew.
"We are going to treat it (illicit brew menace) the way we have treated the problem of terrorism and banditry by having a continuous permanent operation until this problem is gone," Kindiki said.
