The Uasin Gishu County’s Department of Health has proposed an amendment on the County Alcoholic Drinks Act, 2014, that will see the mandate of the Alcoholic Drinks Control Board (ADCB) expanded.
The proposal seeks to allow the Board to also address issues of drug abuse and other illegal substances.
Currently, the law limits ADCB to focus on alcoholics drinks issues alone.
But with the rising cases of alcoholic drinks and drug abuse leading to mental health issues and in worse case scenarios to death, the county through the Executive Committee Member for the Department of Health Services Dr. Sam Kotut has initiated consultations with the County Assembly Health Committee Members on ammendments to the Alcoholic Drinks Act 2014.
Dr. Kotut while leading the discussions noted that the Act enacted in 2014, focuses on Alcohol only but the major issues affecting the youth goes beyond alcohol to include drugs abuse as well.
“We have multi-agency control and inspection Committee that is led by the County Commissioner and County Secretary, and it is their responsibility to vet, inspect and approve outlets fit for licensing to be the legal liquor outlets,” he said.
Protect the youth
Adding that: “In this case. We also need the Act 2014 be amended to protect students and young people by ensuring that distance from learning institutions is provided to avert growth of pubs around schools.”
The need to construct a modern rehabilitation centre also came up during the discussion and it was welcomed by the Chair Health Committee Rebecca Chepchirchir Magut and the leader of Majority Hon. Julius Sang.
The two also noted that it is important to ensure that those rehabilitated are given help beyond the addiction control by empowering them to be successful in the society.
Chair ADCB Josphine Tireito, on her part said, improving the operations of the board by enhancement of their capacity on human resource, provision of adequate funds, vehicles and devolving the unit to ward levels would be a big step to successful management of mushrooming illegal suppliers of alcohol.
Koiya Maiyo serving as the acting Director ADCB further noted that major issues that have led to the rise of illegal alcohol breweries, originate from smuggled methanol and ethanol from neighbouring countries that have led to repackaging of illegal Drinks into bottles – and later well branded to be disguise unsuspecting consumers.
Further, the house Committee and the executive have agreed to undertake public participation in all trading centres to agree with wananchi on way forward to ensure their is control on the number of liquor outlets licensed in every trading centre.
Among the conditions agreed upon is that, only the businesses operating on permanent buildings will be granted licenses after confirming other facilities such as toilets are available.
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