Three arrested as police intensify crackdown on illicit alcohol in Uasin Gishu

Uasin Gishu county police commander Benjamin Mwanthi inspects illicit alcohol seized at Tarakwa

Police in Eldoret have arrested three people—including two women—accused of manufacturing illicit alcohol and packaging it in milk jerrycans for distribution.

Uasin Gishu county police commander Benjamin Mwanthi said the suspects were arrested during a raid at Tarakwa in the Burnt Forest area.

Officers stormed a residential house where they seized about 1,200 bottles of suspected illicit alcohol, some already packed in boxes ready for distribution. The bottles had been sealed and branded as various popular alcohol varieties.

“That means the products were being sold as counterfeit. We are involving agencies such as the Kenya Revenue Authority and the Kenya Bureau of Standards in the investigations,” Mwanthi said.

He said police acted on a tip-off from members of the public.

Mwanthi noted that intensified security operations in Eldoret city and other urban centres had forced some illicit brewers to relocate to rural areas.

“We are on high alert and will not allow such illegal activities in urban or rural areas,” he said. The crackdown will continue across the county.

The police commander, who was accompanied by County DCI boss Daniel Muleli and Turbo subcounty boss Patrick Wekesa, said chiefs and other security officers had been directed to heighten surveillance.

Muleli said officers also recovered a laptop and several mobile phones during the operation.

“We are investigating whether the suspects are linked to other criminal activities,” he said.