Warning issued over return of illegal brews
The national government Western region Coordinator Samuel Kilele has issued a stunning warning to county and sub-county administrators in all the five counties over the gradual re-emergence of illicit brews and their distribution points in the region.
Kilele has warned that any rate of illicit brew consumption within areas of assistant chiefs, assistant county commissioners and deputy county commissioners will attract severe and swift disciplinary action.
The regional coordinator said this was the beginning of an aggressive campaign to stump-out illicit brews in the region saying the region has not done enough since the presidential directive.
“Our aim is to stop the consumption of the illicit brews in the country. This is why we have embarked on the crackdown against illicit brews and brewery distributions in the five counties therefore any administrator whose region is engaging in such illegal business will be punished accordingly,” Kilele stated.
Kilele emphasized that the government will not tolerate administrators who abet brewing or selling of illicit and often lethal brews in their areas of administration.
He also cautioned County Commissioners and other senior administrators that they too were not safe if illicit brew menace persisted in their areas.
“After the chiefs and assistant chiefs, we shall move up the ladder if this problem persists. So Assistant County Commissioners, County Commissioners you too should be in the front-line in the war against illicit brews and drugs,” he added.
He lamented that some location and sub-location is a den for dangerous illicit brews and drugs that have caused death and so much havoc among the youth.
He extremely disclosed his disappointed with how the rate of consumption of the illegal brew has sky rocketed in some parts of the region despite the President’s campaign against the substance.
He added that it is a big threat to social and economic development of the region and a country as whole.
Kilele also asked leaders in the region not to politicize the fight against the illegal substance as it is a noble cause aimed at making citizens useful to themselves and the country.
“The fight against illicit killer brews should be a concerted effort where the public and all arms of the Government join hands to protect the future of our youths who are being destroyed by criminals manufacturing and selling these poisonous drinks,” the coordinator said.
The coordinator and his team also raided residence-cum-brewery of notorious brewers of killer illicit brews in Bungoma County destroying over fifteen liters of kangara at Mayanja market and other parts of the county.
The western region coordinator was addressing the public at a public baraza held at sikusi market in Kabuchai constituency Bungoma County where he expressed his disappointment with the rate at which the consumption of the illicit brews was increasing saying it has contributed to the increase of HIV pandemics in the country and break ups among many families.
The area mp James Lusweti Mukwe who attended the baraza lauded the effort the security team has done in the region after it was terrorized several times.
Mukwe urged the members of the public to work in hand with security team in taming out the insecurity and illicit brews.
“With illicit brew we cannot compromise because it is a presidential directive and I cannot interfere with the exercise in my constituency.” the mp said.
The mp also used the opportunity to ask the national government to speed up the process of compensating internally displaced in the country.
While accusing it of sidelining the 1997 and 92 political displaced victims in Bungoma County, he urged it to take over the liabilities and assets from the former regime in compensating the IDPs.
Over three billion shillings were put on the budget to compensate the victims but so far I have not seen any one in our region. It is like there is nepotism of the world class that is putting the lives of many Kenyans at a standstill.” he said
However he asked the UWEZO fund beneficiaries to refund the funds to enable other applicants and the rest of the Bungoma central dwellers to benefit from them.
His statement was supported by the Bungoma central deputy county commissioner Mrs. Rael Ramkat who urged the groups to return the funds to enabling increments of the allocation in the next financial year.
She said that security personnel should be on the forefront in implementing the President’s directive to root out illegal alcohol in the region.
