Alcohol production companies, bar owners and distributors in the larger Nakuru County have asked President Uhuru Kenyatta to rethink his strategy on the ‘Business of Death’ directive.
Arguing that the process has been overtaken by looters, arsonists and people with bad intentions whose aim is to keep them out of business, the operators questioned why officials usually allowed youths accompanying them to destroy and burn down their premises.
Citing the number of losses incurred barely a week into the operation, the operators have sought the president's intervention to save their business from ill-willed people.
“What puzzles us is that not all of us are selling illegal brew. These people won’t spare even genuine products bearing official Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) and East African Breweries Limited (Eabl) stickers. It’s like their aim is to loot and destroy,” lamented Waithaka Muchiri, a business operator.
“We plead with you Mr President. Come up with a more organised way of this operation as nobody is going to take responsibility of these losses. We have heavily invested here but somebody seems not to care,” he added.
However, Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri faulted their pleas arguing that all the officials were doing was acting on a presidential directive.
Kimani was overseeing the operation in his area where hundreds of litres of local brew were confiscated with a number of wines and spirits outlets being closed.
Two leading alcohol producing factories have been torched down by angry youths barely four days into the operation.
The operators have threatened to move to court to get an injunction to temporarily halt the process until more organised structures are laid down to oversee the operation.