Kenya’ Deputy President takes Aim at Alcohol Abuse with One-Pub Policy.

Kenya’s Deputy President has proposed a controversial plan to tackle alcohol abuse in the country’s central region by introducing a 0ne-pub policy per town aiming at reducing alcohol consumption and curb the social problem associated with excessive drinking. 

Just like Uganda, excessive consumption of alcohol on the streets of Kenya and other places is very high.

According to Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, the number of bars and restaurants allowed to operate in each town should be limited to just one.

"If small bars like this are closed down, more people like me will resort to going down the river to get changaa [the local traditional brew]," Mr Ngugi says

Illegal brewers have traditionally used riverbanks to make changaa. There is easy access to water and in most places; it is hard for the authorities to reach the brewing dens.

Central Kenya is battling what the government warns is an alcohol and drugs epidemic.

The authorities have not provided any data to back this up but they say there is a problem, which they blame on the high number of unregulated bars and pubs and an influx of cheap, illicit brews.

It is also not clear why central Kenya was singled out - but a visit to the region shows there is a proliferation of drinking dens. The Muranga county authority says the number of pubs, as well as wine and spirit shops, has grown exponentially since the Covid 19 lockdown.

Liquor licences have become the most sought-after business permit in the county, the BBC has been told.

Technically, it is the counties which have responsibility for licensing, but as he comes from the central region, Deputy President Gachagua has a lot of influence here.

"County governors must make a decision, that in the pursuit of generating revenue, licensing every kiosk, every outlet to be a bar and restaurant, is a way of destroying an entire generation and that is not right," he said.

Rosemary Kimani, 58, has personal experience of the impact of drinking.

She says she lost her husband to alcoholism. Three of her children, including her daughter, are all battling dependency.

"That river and these bars will be the end of us all," she says in her home in Kiunyu village. She moved there in the early 1990s to start a family.

"We can't even fetch water from there because the gangs that control illegal breweries have taken over.

"You won't see many young people here in Kiunyu with girlfriends, or with families. All they do is wake up and go to bars to drink," she adds.

The central government also wants all places where drinks are available to be limited to selling alcohol between 17:00 and midnight.

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According to Simon Mwangi Njoroge, national chairman of the Bar Owners Association, the central region alone, has around 17,000 businesses employing a workforce of 100,000 people."

Local NGOs and the church have intervened to set up rehabilitation centres, but they are expensive and out of reach for many addicts.

Experts are warning that an entire generation could be lost if nothing is done to tackle the issue.  

It should be noted that Kenya has one of the highest rates of alcohol consumption in Africa and the negative effects of excessive drinking are felt across all aspects of society. While the one-pub policy may not be the perfect solution, it is a positive step towards addressing this critical issue. It remains to be seen whether the country government will adopt the proposal or come up with altanative strategies to combat alcohol abuse.