Jomvu top cop in raids to drain toxic drink from Bangladesh slum

Illicit kangara being brewed at the mud-thatched house in Bangladesh slums on Tuesday / BRIAN OTIENO

She is barely four weeks old in Jomvu, yet this is the third time for new police boss Selina Chirchir to lead an operation against illicit brew.

Chirchir-led operations against illicit brew in Jomvu are attracting both praise and criticism in equal measure.

But this has not stopped her. The subcounty police commander has demonstrated a no-nonsense attitude when it comes to drugs and alcohol abuse.

On Tuesday, she had an intelligence-led operation against a chang’aa brewing den in the famous Bangladesh slums.

“It was about 11.30 am, acting on information provided by members of the public who informed us of a house in Bangla that was being used to brew the illicit drink, we went there immediately,” Chirchir said.

The mud-thatched house had five drums placed on fire, brewing 40 litres of the potentially deadly drink.

There were 103 jerricans, totalling 1,986 litres of kangara, a local brew, enjoyed in the slums, turning those partaking of it into zombies.

Bangladesh is a densely populated slum characterised by significant socio-economic challenges, including extreme poverty, crime and environmental issues like poor waste management, typical of many informal settlements in the country.

However, despite the many challenges, the Bangladesh community is known for resilience, unique grassroots initiatives and loyalty to a fault.

It is in these very slums that the controversial Bangla-Pesa currency was introduced in 2013.

Bangla-Pesa was a complementary, community-based currency used by the traders to boost the local trade.

Jomvu subcounty police commander Selina Chirchir [2^nd L] at the Jomvu DCC’s offices on Tuesday / BRIAN OTIENO

It was a voucher system for registered members to exchange goods without needing the Kenyan shilling, which helped residents manage high living costs. The government later outlawed it.

On Tuesday, Chirchir said, a 35-year-old David Ouko was arrested in connection with the illicit brew. He was due to be arraigned in court on Wednesday.

Chirchir said the operation was in line with the presidential directive against illicit brews across the country.

“We are prepared. We will conduct these operations until we ensure our children grow up in safe environments so they can be responsible adults when they grow up,” the Jomvu subcounty police commander said.

She decried the rate at which young children go astray because of poor upbringing, usually influenced by illicit brewers who want to make quick money at the expense of the future of a whole generation.

“Nowadays, even small children start using illicit substances because they are readily available. We can no longer accept that,” Chirchir said.

She said in Jomvu, many children are refusing to go to school because of chang’aa, blaming parents for the predicament.

She said the parents use their children as helping hands in the brewing of the illicit brews.

“They enlist the help of their children to prepare the items they use in brewing chang’aa. They also enlist their children’s help in the dens where they sell the chang’aa. Then they blame poverty for the same,” Chirchir said.

“We are also parents. We, as the Jomvu subcounty security team, have decided we will not allow this to go on,” she said.

She called on parents to let their children go to school and not involve them in the chang’aa business.

“The children have their own lives. They have a whole life ahead of them. They should not be wasted in such dens,” Chirchir said.

She raised concern that such children, who are not allowed to go to school, might take advantage of the holy month of Ramadhan, which starts today, to terrorise those going to the mosques and to churches.

Catholics are also expected to start their fasting period at the same time as the Muslims.

“Learners will be on mid-term break next week. If we allow such, this will be the song. They will be idling around and causing mayhem. We are trying to prevent that,” she said.

On February 12, another similar operation nabbed 88 20-litre jerricans of kangara.

The 1,600 litres of brew were destroyed. No arrests were made as all escaped after they got a tip-off.

Jomvu MP Badi Twalib said youth are no longer productive because of drunkenness.

“They either refuse to or cannot work after consuming the illicit brew. This affects their productivity,” Twalib said.

He said the illicit brews are being sold to everyone, including school-going children, with reckless abandon.

A drunken society can never be productive, Twalib said, lauding Chirchir for her courage and efforts.

“The new subcounty police commander is a parent first and then a police officer; she knows what effects the illicit brew has on children and would never want anyone’s child to undergo such,” Twalib said.

He noted that when Chirchir came to Jomvu, she intercepted a lot of bhang at Bonje, which was being transported to Mombasa Island.

“That was barely a week after she reported to Jomvu. It shows the kind of worker she is,” Twalib said.