Kisumu County Commissioner John Elungata has directed police officers to intensify patrols to counter smuggling of illegal goods.
He said the drug and alcohol traffickers use the porous borders and Lake Victoria point to smuggle drugs and alcohol into the county. This comes a day after Anti-counterfeit Agency reveals that Kenya loses Sh69 billion annually as fake smuggled goods flood market.
Speaking at his office yesterday in Kisumu town, Elungata said drinks such as Flying Horse and Empire were being smuggled into the city.
“I am directing police to conduct more raids at the border and suspicious shops in the fight against drug peddling,” he said.
He warned locals to be wary of illicit brews and urged them not to buy drinks which are not licensed and approved by Kebs, he said.
“We are aware some unscrupulous business people are using illegal routes to smuggle drugs and alcohol from neighbouring countries. We are telling them to stop before we get them," Elungata said.
He said the country is facing terror threats and asked residents to cooperate with police to flush out criminals. The national security is paramount, and appealed to residents to support government initiatives to improve it, he said.
“Members of the public need to work together to flush out these criminals from our midst,” Elungata said.
He asked locals to reject the terrorists’ attempts to divide them along religious lines. Elungata said locals should not be psyched by activities of the Al Shabaab, whose main agenda is dividing Christians from Muslims.
The county commissioner also asked parents to take care of their children to prevent them from being lured into terrorism acts. He applauded community policing, which he said has also played an important role in promoting security in the region.
“We are encouraged by the improved public-police relationship which has helped us to get crucial security information to arrest criminals,” he said.