Murang’a bar owners demand crackdown on fake alcohol
Bar owners in Murang’a, Kenya, are calling for a government crackdown on the illicit alcohol trade. They argue that counterfeit liquor threatens public health and undermines legitimate businesses that comply with licensing laws.
Why it matters
The illicit alcohol trade is a significant public health crisis in Kenya, often leading to fatalities and economic instability for small business owners.
Murang’a County Bar and Hotel Owners Association chairman John Joseph Njuguna addressing journalists in Murang'a town on September 28, 2026/ ALICE WAITHERA Murang’a bar owners have called for a crackdown on illicit and substandard alcohol, warning that illegal products threaten legitimate businesses and public health.
The operators demanded tougher enforcement against manufacturers, distributors and suppliers of counterfeit liquor, arguing that action should target the networks behind the illegal trade rather than legitimate businesses.
Bar owner Jane Wanjiru urged both the county and the national governments to work together to prevent illicit alcohol from entering the local market and undermining compliant traders.
“We want to sell products that, when someone consumes it, allows them to enjoy themselves and wake up the following day ready to go to work,” Wanjiru said.
She said legitimate traders should be allowed to conduct their businesses without competition from people selling dangerous and substandard alcoholic products.
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