When he launched the fight against illicit brew early this year, Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu was hailed as visionary and transformative.
To many Kiambu residents, Waititu had just identified a thorn in the feet of Kiambu County and had shown his willingness to squeeze the thorn out together with the puss.
However, no sooner had the governor hit the road to get rid of the social ill that has bedevilled Kiambu for long than criticism started to fly from all the county corners castigating Waititu's method of fighting the vice.
More notable, the criticism came from elected local leaders who accused the governor of not consulting them before starting the fight. They went ahead to say that the fight was not 'achieving much' despite spending a sizeable county revenue.
Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria, for instance, noted that Waititu's move was good but 'poorly thought out'. He was of the opinion that legitimate bar owners were not supposed to be 'punished' together with those who were selling illicit brew. Sounds sensible. Isn't it?
Fast-forward to July 2018, can Waititu's spirited efforts be said to have achieved results or were the likes of Kuria right? I tend to agree with the latter. Why?
First, as it was noted by some local leaders, the fight was rushed without first thinking throughout the whole thing. This is evident especially when you walk across various estates in Thika town. You will find many jobless youths drunk like skunk as cheap brews are easily available in wine and spirit joints which have since resurfaced.
It is also public knowledge that many youths who had been absorbed by the county government to do manual jobs like clearing bushes and trenches, did not accrue much as they ended in bars immediately they received their daily pay.
Finally, the fight seems to have been 'selective'. For instance, in Makongeni, Thika, two joints continued to operate untouched even when the fight was at the top gear. Alcohol continues to flow from these joints up to today.
So, was Waititu's noble idea poorly thought out, planned and executed? All indications, unfortunately, points towards this.
#hivisasaoriginal