Kindiki Recalls Police Officers & Administrators After 13 Die in Drinking Spree
On Friday, February 9, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki ordered the return of senior law enforcement and National Government Administration officials to Kirinyaga following the tragic incident where 13 individuals lost their lives due to the consumption of expired alcohol.
Kindiki instructed the relevant authorities to conduct investigations, following which appropriate administrative measures will be taken against those identified as responsible.
“The Government has recalled senior law enforcement and National Government Administration officers who by conduct or misconduct may have contributed to the recent loss of lives occasioned by the consumption of an illicit toxic brew in Kirinyaga County, Central Region,” read a statement by the CS.
On February 6, six individuals lost their lives, and five others experienced blindness following the reported consumption of expired alcohol known as “California” in Kangai Village, Mwea, located in Kirinyaga County.
As of Thursday, the death toll reached 13, with an additional 7 individuals passing away during the course of their treatment.
Kirinyaga Health County Executive Committee Member George Karoki attributed the cause of death and blindness to the presence of ethanol contamination in the alcohol, as he provided details on the matter.
Kindiki issued the directive two days following a challenge from Kirinyaga Women Representative Njeri Maina, urging the Interior CS to take decisive action against local administration officers allegedly involved in illicit partnerships with owners of illegal liquor dens.
“I am saddened by the loss of 13 lives in Kangai, Kirinyaga County, due to consumption of poison-laced illicit alcohol,” Njeri Maina stated.
“I am hereby calling on the CS Interior, Kithure Kindiki, to crack the whip on the rogue and corrupt local administration and any other culpable officer,” she added.
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On February 7, enraged Kirinyaga locals set fire to a bar accused of selling expired alcohol to the individual who passed away.
During the protest, the citizens insisted on the prompt replacement of the local law enforcement and the area chief, alleging that they had failed to fulfill their responsibilities.
They alleged that the local authorities, despite being fully aware of the suspects’ wrongdoing, failed to capture them.
“I am so sad I can’t even speak, and even when the police come here they are bribed and go away,” lamented a resident.
“It is not the first time they have been here, and even the area chief doesn’t do his role. We are very aggrieved and we should have new police officers and chiefs.”
Earlier this week, a collaborative effort involving representatives from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), and the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) initiated a comprehensive operation across the country to clamp down on bars selling alcohol that has exceeded its expiration date.
Kindiki Recalls Police Officers & Administrators After 13 Die in Drinking Spree
