State announces nationwide crackdown on illicit brew after 17 people die

The government will on Friday start a nationwide crackdown on illicit alcohol, following the death of 17 persons who consumed poisonous alcohol last week.

Linking the deaths to an act of terror, Interior CS Kithure Kindiki said the countrywide crackdown starts immediately even as the probe into the illicit brew that claimed 17 lives continues.

The probe will entail a forensic analysis of the drink to establish its components and the cause of the strange deaths.

The seller of the killer brew John Muriithi has since been arrested and police are holding him until they complete their investigations relating to the death of the 17.

"We are not looking at routine charges about operating without a license and other misdemeanours, we are looking at putting a proper, serious, watertight case that this fellow will never know freedom again."

"I don't see any difference between what this character has done and what any other dangerous criminals have done in other parts of the country. There is no difference between what this character has done with what Paul Mackenzie did in Shakahola, what the Al-Shabaab are doing and what the bandits are doing," said the CS after addressing a news conference at the Mwea West Sub-County Headquarters where he held a County Security and Intelligence Committee meeting.

Kindiki confirmed that the seller of the poisonous drink is a repeat offender who has been taken to court 16 times before.

"Every time they were released on very, very lenient bond terms," noted the CS, who also called out the Judiciary staff for letting Kenyans down and frustrating law enforcement efforts.

At the same time, the state has since declared operational and administrative changes on the war against illicit alcohol in Kirinyaga County and the nation at large.

The multiagency probe will establish if any of the national government officers had a role to play either by commission or omission leading to the deaths of the victims.

"I want to pledge on behalf of the government that any officer, public official from whatever agency of government who may have contributed to this terrible loss of life will have to face not only removal from the PSC but prosecution," said Kindiki.

He added that all officers who have been asked to step aside will be treated fairly as investigators check who amongst them is complicit in the probe which will also extend to junior officers.

"Besides the commanders, we are getting information that some of the junior officers in the national administration structures and other agencies could also have contributed to this unfortunate event and the consequences it has brought on us," he said.

All officers who were on duty in Kirinyaga when the incident happened have been recalled to Nairobi and new officers deployed to their station.

The newly posted officers have been directed to commence an operation to ensure that other culprits who are selling illicit alcohol are apprehended before they cause more harm.

The new officers include; Hussein Alason (County Commissioner), Andrew Naibei (County Commander), Mohamed Jaso (Deputy County Commander), Lawrence Omondi (Deputy County Commissioner), Rashid Ali (Sub County Police Commander), Patrick Magara (Mwea East Sub County Police Commander), James Nyabedi (Thiba OCS), Simiyu Khaemba (Siagini OCS), Smith Kilee (Kangai OCS), Chrispus Ojwang (Mtito OCS) amongst others.

"They must roll back whatever has gone wrong here in Kirinyaga County and make sure that we do not have a loss of lives going forward," added Kindiki.

At the same time, the government is embarking on a rehabilitation programme for alcohol addicts with a directive to chiefs and assistant chiefs to gather their data for assistance.