Law enforcement officers in Murang’a on Wednesday raided the banks of River Chania. The sleuths managed to seize and destroy more than 2, 000 liters of illicit brews.
In a crackdown led by the county commissioner Patrick Mukuria and the county police commander David Mathiu, the officers destroyed kang’ara and chang’aa brews which were being processed along the river. The river borders Murang’a and Kiambu counties.
The officers were forced to deploy a drone in a bid to map out and pinpoint the hideouts where the brewers processed the outlawed illegal alcoholic drinks.
Materials and equipment used in the manufacturing of the brews including molasses and boilers were also dismantled.
The banks of the Chania River are known as notorious areas where manufacturing of illicit brews have been perpetuated for years.
Mukiria reported that it had been difficult accessing steep banks of the river therefore a challenge in getting to points where the manufacturing of the brews is done.
He said joint efforts by officers from Murang’a and those from neighbouring Kiambu County had been vital in countering production of the illicit alcohol along the river.
Mukuria added that they had also intensified efforts against counterfeit breweries, saying that for the last few weeks they had seized and torn down thousands of contraband ingredients.
The counterfeits, he noted, were of low standards and had adversely affected the health of consumers in the region, notably young men.
In the course of the week, a raid by the county police commander at Kambiti and Kangema areas led to confiscation of thousands of fake KRA stickers and about 2, 000 litres of assorted counterfeit alcoholic drinks.
The fight against alcoholism in the central region comes after Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua met and directed law enforcement as well as local political leaders to join hands to save young people from the scourge of illicit and counterfeit brews.
Meanwhile Mukuria stated that the local county security committee was working in conjunction with the county government towards vetting and reducing the number of bars in the county.
There are more than 3, 000 liquor outlets in Murang’a which are licensed and currently more than 2, 000 new applications for bars have been received.