Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Eliud Lagat/NPSMore than 35,700 people have been arrested and over 1.5 million litres of illicit alcohol seized across the country in the last two-and-a-half years, underscoring the scale of Kenya's battle against illegal brews.
Appearing before a parliamentary committee investigating the production, distribution and consumption of illicit alcohol on Thursday, Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat revealed that 35,700 suspects had been apprehended while 1,559,893.9 litres of illegal alcohol had been recovered during the period. Of the seized alcohol, 949,800 litres have already been destroyed.
Data presented by Lagat showed that the Rift Valley region recorded the highest volume of illicit alcohol seizures at 493,073.8 litres, followed closely by Nyanza with 445,073 litres and Western with 322,223.3 litres.
Nairobi ranked fourth with 104,721 litres seized, ahead of Eastern at 81,316.5 litres, Central Kenya at 73,585.5 litres and the Coast region at 39,776 litres. North Eastern recorded the lowest figure, with just 75 litres seized.
The Rift Valley also led in arrests, with 18,676 suspects apprehended between January 2024 and May 2026. Nairobi followed with 5,291 arrests, while Western recorded 3,641, Nyanza 3,052, Central 2,858, Eastern 1,567, Coast 579 and North Eastern 36.
Lagat told MPs that historical policies had contributed to the growth of the illicit alcohol trade.
He said colonial and post-colonial regulations banned traditional brews outright, inadvertently creating a thriving underground market instead of a regulated sector.
“Illegal importation of industrial ethanol and counterfeit branded alcohol from neighbouring countries feeds the illicit market. The consumption of such products has resulted in fatalities, severe health complications, crime and loss of productivity and the breakdown of social and family structures,” he said.
The DIG noted that traditional brews such as Muratina, Chang'aa and Busaa have long been part of the cultural heritage of many Kenyan communities, making enforcement efforts socially sensitive.
He also cited endemic corruption among some enforcement officers and administrators, whom he accused of shielding illicit alcohol producers and distributors.
To tackle the problem, Lagat proposed the establishment of a joint inter-agency technical committee bringing together the National Treasury, KRA, KEBS, county governments and the Ministry of Trade to review licensing requirements and reduce barriers within the formal alcohol sector.
He further recommended that the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, working with the National Police Service's Internal Affairs Unit, establish a dedicated mechanism to investigate and prosecute officials implicated in illicit alcohol protection rackets.
Lagat also called for the decentralisation of Government Chemist services to all 47 counties and urged the Judiciary to establish fast-track courts for alcohol-related offences to speed up prosecutions and strengthen deterrence.
