New policy bars influencers from advertising alcohol products

It will no longer be business as usual for drug barons and traders of adulterated alcohol as the government now shifts its enforcement focus to target assets and funds believed to be proceeds of crime.

Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kipchumba Murkomen announced that the ministry will be engaging the Asset Recovery Agency at the Attorney General’s office to seize proceeds from the illicit trade.

He regretted that despite the efforts put in place to rid the country of vice, especially among children and the youth, the courts have been awarding lenient fines to the suspects who secure their release immediately and continue with their businesses unabated.

Speaking at the launch of the National Policy on the prevention, management, and control of alcohol, drugs, and substance abuse in Kenya, the CS stated that illicit trafficking fuels crime, compromises public health, and undermines the potential of youth, destabilizes families, and erodes the very fabric of communities.

In a bid to mitigate this menace, he outlined a number of interventions the ministry, through the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA), will undertake to stem the crime.

“We will be engaging the Asset Recovery Agency to see how best to make it more punitive first for those who are engaged in these acts, especially because they get very lenient fines,” said Mr Murkomen.

“So maybe the best way is to take away the lorry, the car, their equipment, their businesses … the assets they have built over time and it’s important for Asset Recovery to appreciate that the law on Proceeds of Crime and Money Laundering as it is not only focusing on corruption but focusing on all crimes properly defined in the same law.”

According to Murkomen, the focus on the engagement with Asset Recovery Agency is to make it more punitive to trade in substandard alcohol, drugs and other illegal substances, that rob the youth of their future.

“We have realized during the Jukwaa la Usalama public engagements why officers are targeted, especially by politicians,” he stated.

Murkomen recounted how they receive many calls from political leaders complaining about OCSs stationed within their areas.

“They tell us…OCS is not doing a good job, oh… OCS so and so is fighting me and so and so is not supporting the government. We only come to discover later that it has nothing to do with the government, these are people selling adulterated alcohol, they are supplying these cheap sachets,” said the CS.

“When police officers take serious stands, they camouflage and come back either as government supporters or people interested in the well-being of their voters, only to realise later these are people who trade in illicit alcohol.”

He argued that if the government seizes their assets, then it can get money to build rehabilitation centres.

“Some of these proceeds from the accounts can be returned to build rehabilitation centres, create awareness and treat victims,” he added.

He also weighed in on the judicial role in the fight against alcohol, drug and substance abuse, revealing that he has told the regional and county commissioners to work through the court users’ associations to create awareness with the magistrates and judges they work with at the local level.

“The problem we have is these lenient fines and the high evidence threshold.

It is important to have evidence but maybe we should look at the penal code and see if there can be certain presumptions that if you don’t have a licence, it is presumed otherwise,” he noted.

He revealed that fighting the vice at the lowest level of administration unit, starting with village elders, assistance chiefs, chiefs and the OCSs is most productive.

He put on notice OCSs and other officers condoning the vice, saying they risk a sack and prosecution.

Some of the rules include banning the sale of alcohol near schools and places of worship, while instilling a zero tolerance for irresponsible alcohol/drug promotion.

The policy aims to restrict the sale of alcohol to under-21s while also enhancing protection for those who seek to abstain from alcohol and drugs.

The objective of the policy is to minimize the incidences and prevalence of alcohol drugs and substance use-related harm by addressing the underlying demand, supply, environmental and organizational factors.

The policy also introduces strict zoning regulations, establishing alcohol-free zones around schools, places of worship, and residential areas.

Under these new rules, bars and liquor outlets will be prohibited from operating within 300 metres of such sensitive locations

The Cabinet okayed the policy on June 24, as the government allowed the Authority to enforce the new rules.
NACADA will also be creating special safeguards for PWDs and the vulnerable.

Among the key changes is a ban on all forms of online alcohol sales, including through mobile apps and vending machines.

The government also plans to shut down the home delivery of alcohol, which has been blamed for making it easier for minors to access alcohol.

“The online space has become a loophole. Teenagers are ordering alcohol from their phones and getting it delivered to their homes. This must stop,” Nacada said.

The policy will also introduce strict zoning regulations that prevent alcohol outlets from operating near schools, churches, or residential areas.

Celebrities will no longer be allowed to advertise or promote alcohol brands. In addition, alcohol adverts will also be prohibited during children’s TV programmes, school events, and national holidays.

In February 2025, NACADA launched the Status of Drugs and Substance Use Among University Students in Kenya revealed that alcohol continues to be the most commonly used substance among university students.

The data reported that 87.3 per cent of students consume alcohol, followed by cigarettes at 64.4 per cent, and shisha at 41.2 per cent.

The study surveyed 15,678 undergraduate students from both public and private universities in Kenya. It also showed that 66.4 per cent of respondents said they get drugs or substances from their friends, while 59.3 per cent said they source them from neighbourhood canteens and bars.

The Authority has been engaging communities and collaborating with faith-based organizations to help sensitize citizens against the use of substances.

The current challenges in dealing with ADA issues therefore point to a need of a review of all policies dealing with ADA, the legal framework further as concerted efforts by stakeholders at both levels of government, enforcement agencies, the Judiciary and other players in order to make progress in the Vision of making the Country a drug abuse free nation.

To ensure the effective implementation and operationalization of the policy, an all-inclusive management and coordination structure is proposed.