Meru County has suspended the issuance of new alcohol licenses to dealers

A Facebook post claiming that Meru County Alcoholic Drinks Control Board has suspended the issuance of new licenses to bar owners in the county until January 1, 2020, is TRUE.

According to the post, the suspension was prompted by the sale of second-generation liquor brands and illicit brews in the county, as well as non-compliance of operating hours by the dealers.

In a phone conversation with PesaCheck, Meru County Alcoholic Drinks and Control Board Chairman Kimathi Kigatiira confirmed that the board has suspended the issuance of new licenses to bar owners following the discovery that some bars with valid liquor licenses were selling second-generation liquor brands and illicit brews.

Second generation alcoholic drinks that are made by mixing neutral food-grade ethanol with water and flavours rather than going through the standard distillation process, meaning it is cheaper and contains more alcohol by volume than conventional spirits.

We are aware of bar owners who are selling illicit brews and second-generation liquor such as Simba Waragia in Igembe subcounty. We have already begun a crackdown to catch those selling illicit brews in the county-Mr Kimathi Kigatiira.

The Meru County board has directed bar owners to adhere to the rules stipulated in their operating licenses regarding operating hours, age limitations and the quality of the brands they sell.

PesaCheck has looked into the claim that the Meru County Alcoholic Drinks Control Board has suspended the issuance of new licenses to bar owners in the county until January 1, 2020 and finds it to be TRUE.

This post is part of an ongoing series of PesaCheck fact-checks examining content marked as potential misinformation on Facebook and other social media platforms.

By partnering with Facebook and similar social media platforms, third-party fact-checking organisations like PesaCheck are helping to sort fact from fiction. We do this by giving the public deeper insight and context to posts they see in their social media feeds.

Have you spotted what you think is fake news or false information on Facebook? Here’s how you can report. And, here’s more information on PesaCheck’s methodology for fact-checking questionable content.

This fact-check was written by PesaCheck researcher Diana Kendi was edited by PesaCheck Deputy Editor Ann Ngengere and was approved for publication by PesaCheck Managing Editor Eric Mugendi.