The government Sunday allowed 13 more manufacturers and distillers of second generation alcohol to resume operations.
This brings the total number of manufacturers and distillers of the second-generation brew currently allowed to operate in the country to 15.
On March 6, 2024, the government announced a 25-point enforcement programme for suppression of the manufacture, sale, distribution and consumption of illicit alcohol, narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances in the country.
The measures taken included the immediate suspension of all licences, permits and
authorizations for the manufacture and distillery of second-generation alcohol, and a further directive that fresh vetting be undertaken within 21 days to ensure compliance of establishments with security, safety, health, labour, environmental and other standards as defined in relevant National laws.
All the 29 active manufacturers and distillers of second-generation alcohol were vetted by a multi-agency team and only two were found to be fully compliant.
Kenya Nut Company Limited and UDV were allowed to continue with their operations after they were found to have met all the requirements in a countrywide vetting exercise conducted between March 18 and March 21, 2024.
The licensing of the 13 more alcohol manufacturers and distillers followed a comprehensive re-vetting exercise involving 22 out of the 27 dealers that had failed the earlier test.
Five manufacturers and distillers did not inform the vetting team of their compliance status within the 21 days in line with the notice issued to them and were not involved in the May re-vetting exercise and included the Metro Breweries Limited, Fastlane wines and Spirits, Keroche Brewery Limited, Africa spirit Limited and Lodiani Water Springs Limited.
The 13 alcohol firms that passed the rigorous test during the re-vetting exercise included Patiala Distillers Kenya Limited, Savannah Brands Company Limited, Kenya Wine Agencies Limited, Manchester Distillers Limited, FRM EA Packers Limited and Corobus Africa Products Limited.
Others are Zheng Hong(K) Limited, Two Cousins Distillers Limited, Lyniber Supplies Limited, Elle Kenya Limited, Agro Chemical & Food Co. Limited, Crywan Enterprises and London Distiller Kenya Limited.
The nine alcohol manufacturers and distillers found to have not fully complied with the requirements include Rift Valley Brewing Company, Platinum Distillers Limited, Lumat Company Limited, Julijo Investment (K) Limited, Kedsta Investment Limited, Viva Bebida Limited, Sabibu Beverages Africa Limited, Mamboleo Distillers Limited and Algarve distillers Limited.
The nine have been informed of their shortcomings and have been asked to address them.
The vetting process was carried out by ten 10 agencies.
They are the State Department for Internal Security and National Administration, National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA), Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS); Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services (DOSHS), Anti- Counterfeit Agency (ACA), Public Health Department, National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) and the Department of Weights and Measures.
The war on the illicit brew is increasingly being politicised defeating the very reason to start it.
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