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The Anti-Counterfeit Authority’s presentation to Parliament on Thursday should have shaken the government out of its complacency over the proliferation of illicit and counterfeit alcohol.
The authority admitted it lacks sufficient capacity to effectively police the surging trade. More disturbing is the revelation that some of the country’s leading alcohol brands are increasingly being targeted by counterfeiters.
This is no longer merely a question of lost tax revenue or unfair competition. It is a public health emergency. The consumption of illicit alcohol has been linked to deaths, blindness and other serious health complications, while cheap and easily available brews continue to find their way into communities.
Indeed, Parliament has already heard that illicit alcohol accounted for an estimated 60 per cent of alcohol consumed in Kenya by volume in 2024.
The government cannot continue relying on occasional raids after lives have been lost. The ACA's admission should trigger a sustained, intelligence-led national crackdown involving the ACA, Nacada, KRA, Kebs, police, county governments and the Judiciary.
The focus must be on the entire supply chain—manufacturers, financiers, smugglers, distributors and corrupt officials—not merely the hapless vendor at the bottom.
Parliament must demand measurable results and accountability from every agency.
Kenya cannot afford to watch silently as alcohol destroys its young people. The government must act now, before we lose an entire generation.
Quote of the Day: "Life is a constant oscillation between the sharp horns of dilemmas."—American newspaperman and critic H L Mencken was born on September 12, 1880
