Illicit alcohol seized in Kirinyaga. /JOHNSON MURIITHI

Speaking during Mashujaa Day celebrations at Kianyaga in Gichugu on Tuesday, Kirinyaga County Police Commander Anderson Njagi said the fight against illicit alcohol was a top security priority.

Njagi, who has served in the county for about a month, expressed concern that Kirinyaga appeared to have more brands of illicit alcohol than other counties with larger populations.

“I have worked in this country, but it looks as if Kirinyaga is the headquarters of all bad brands of alcohol. The deadly alcohol I have seen here, even their names you cannot open your mouth to mention, and if you write the list, a full foolscap will be full,” Njagi said.

He claimed that while some counties with populations of more than one million people had only one or two such brands, Kirinyaga had more than 100, despite having a population of about 600,000.

The police commander urged residents, including young people, women and men, to work with security agencies to curb the sale and consumption of illicit alcohol.

“If we do not fight this deadly alcohol, tomorrow women will not have their grandchildren, as they were saying when they were speaking, and that is true,” he said.

Njagi warned that the continued consumption of illicit alcohol could have far-reaching consequences for the county’s population and its representation at the national level.

“If we do not fight this menace, where are we going? Your numbers will go down and down, then at the end of the day we will not even have a voice nationally,” he said.

Kirinyaga County Commissioner Shifaa Omar Mwijuma, who also addressed residents at the event, pledged to sustain the crackdown, saying illicit alcohol was harming the community.

Mwijuma cited census figures showing that Kirinyaga had a population of about 628,000 and urged residents to address the social challenges affecting young people and families.

“My people of Kirinyaga, I must tell you the truth as a woman, it is burning. We must work together to eliminate this menace,” she said.

She also expressed concern that alcohol abuse was affecting young people’s willingness or ability to start families, urging residents to take collective action against the menace.

Meanwhile, residents, particularly women, have raised concerns over the growing number of illicit alcohol brands and their effects on the community.

Jane Magondu said some young people had resorted to stealing to finance their consumption of the brews.

“There is Kathuri Ngui, Conga na Mwena, One Term, Kangai Kwigaca, Mugondora, among others. Where are we heading in Kirinyaga?” Magondu asked.