Distiller Denies Claims Their Alcohol is Illicit
A distiller behind products worth Sh6 million that were destroyed on February 26 by Nyeri residents denied claims that they are illicit brews.
Patiala Distillers Limited read malice in the move by the locals led by a section of their leaders.
The residents led by area lawmaker Eric Wamumbi and Nyeri senator Wahome Matinga raided the Deputy County Commissioners’s office and destroyed 34,000 bottles of beer worth Sh4 million confiscated by police in Karatina town on February 21.
The manufacturers through their lawyer Danstan Omari on Tuesday wrote to the Independence Policing Oversight Authority urging them to speedily launch a thorough investigations into the conduct of all the police officers involved in the malicious destruction of the products that were in lawful custody.
Omari said that the Deputy County Commissioners (DCC) and District officer acted unlawfully when they confiscated the alcohol that had been distributed to a licenced distributor on February 20, on grounds that it was unfit for human consumption.
“Our client’s unfortunate encounters with law enforcement has come as a surprise since there has been no turbulent history between my client and law enforcement,” reads the letter
Omari argued that after confiscation of the products, the Kenya Revenue Authority, the Kenya Bureau of Standard and Anti Counterfeit Agency gave the alcohol a clean bill of health.
However the Mathira MP and Nyeri Senator were led, protected and supervised by police officers when they assembled residents to maliciously destroy the alcohol, Omari alleges.
“It was an unfortunate occurrence by officers who are expected to enforce the law and not use the same law to abuse, intimidate and harass our client’s lawful distributor.”
The manufacturer alleges that none of its employees have ever been summoned in relation to an unlawful act and neither of them have been investigated over any criminal offence in the 15 years it has been in business.
They legally manufacture nine different brands of alcohol namely Blue vodka ice, Genius gin, Best gin, Chase vodka, Diamond ice, Flying horse, Best brandy, Blue ice coconut and Gold medal brandy.
The firm has 370 employees on pensionable terms and additional 1200 employees on monthly basis.
KeBS has since suspended the manufacture and sell of spirit based ready to drink alcoholic beverage Diamond ice, Blended vodka, Flying horse and Blended gin flying horse on allegations that the consumption of the same products are likely to cause harm.