Kenya's Deputy President Kithure Kindiki announced on Thursday that he is taking personal charge of a renewed government campaign against the sale of harmful alcohol and drugs, saying earlier crackdowns had been undermined by sabotage and outside interference. He spoke in Gatanga Constituency, Murang'a County, where he was inspecting government development projects, according to The Star, Kenya.
Kindiki described the effort as a total war involving multiple state agencies, and said he would lead it himself rather than delegate it. The Star, Kenya reports that he named the security agencies, the Kenya Revenue Authority, the Kenya Bureau of Standards and the National Government Administrative Officers as participants, alongside members of the public he wants drawn into the effort.
Why it matters
Illicit and counterfeit alcohol has been a recurring public health and safety problem in Kenya, and the deputy president's decision to front the campaign personally raises its political profile. Kindiki's remarks also signal that the government intends to treat the trade as a security matter rather than a purely regulatory one, grouping it with the operations he previously oversaw against terrorism and banditry.
His warning that officials could face the law for aiding the trade puts public servants on notice, and his instruction to politicians to stay out of the way suggests the government expects attempts to shield vested interests. The Star, Kenya reports that Kindiki said past crackdowns fell short specifically because of sabotage and interference.
"A battle which we must win"
Kindiki said he had chosen to lead the operation directly, telling his audience that he would coordinate every agency involved. "I am taking this fight personally. I will provide leadership to all the agencies involved," he said, according to The Star, Kenya. He added that the public would be fully involved this time.
The deputy president framed the campaign as a fight the government cannot afford to lose, and drew a comparison with earlier security operations he led as Interior Cabinet Secretary, including actions against terrorists in Lamu and bandits in northern Kenya. He said those campaigns succeeded and predicted the same outcome against the alcohol and drug trade.
"I am announcing a total war against those selling harmful alcohol, drugs and substances destroying the lives of our people," he said. "This is a war we must win because we have no choice but to win."
Kindiki also issued a direct warning to anyone attempting to obstruct the operation, saying the government would confront them without hesitation and that they would be forced to give up. He said those behind the trade could not expect to escape consequences for the harm caused to young people.
Addressing politicians, he said they should step aside and allow the operation to proceed, describing the campaign as impartial and apolitical. The Star, Kenya reports that he warned against interference by people protecting their own interests rather than the welfare of the youth exposed to the drinks.
Development projects reviewed in Murang'a
The deputy president's visit to Gatanga combined the enforcement message with an inspection of road and market projects. He reviewed construction of the Jogoo Kimakia-Kigio-Kirwara Road, which has been allocated 867 million shillings, and checked progress on the Kaguku-Ithanga ESP Market. He also met residents at Kigio Shopping Centre and Kaguku-Ithanga Centre to brief them on other projects in the county.
According to The Star, Kenya, the Jogoo Kimakia-Kigio-Kirwara Road is one of 1,285 kilometres of roads under construction in Murang'a County at a combined cost of 56 billion shillings. Another road in the constituency, running from Gatura through Ngere to Karangi, has been allocated 415 million shillings. Work is also continuing in Kandara, Kigumo, Mathioya, Kiharu, Maragua and Kangema constituencies.
Kindiki said funding was in place to complete the roads, and referred to the Mau Mau Roads programme running across all constituencies in the county. He told residents that construction would continue until the projects were finished.
The county has also received 27 billion shillings for 27 modern markets as well as affordable housing projects and hostels, The Star, Kenya reports. In Gatanga Constituency, the Ndunyu Chege Market is being built at a cost of 152 million shillings, the Gatunyu Market at 109 million shillings and the Kaguku Market at 114 million shillings.
Kindiki said the contractor handling the Kaguku Market had abandoned the site despite receiving public funds, and announced that the contractor would be replaced. He said legal action would follow and that the contractor would be required to account for the money already released.
"We must take legal action against that contractor," he said. "It is not possible you receive funds by taxpayers and you fail to do the work you have been awarded."
The remarks tie the enforcement push to a broader government message about accountability for public money, delivered in a county where several projects are simultaneously underway.
What to watch
The test of the campaign will be whether the multi-agency operation produces arrests and prosecutions that survive political pressure, and whether the replacement contractor at Kaguku Market is named and held to account for the funds already spent.
