Gachagua facing early revolt in central Kenya over his directive
Gachagua facing early revolt in central Kenya over his stance against alcohol as he positions himself as the region's kingpin
Gachagua facing early revolt in central Kenya over his stance against alcohol as he positions himself as the region’s kingpin.
Even as he positions himself as the region’s kingpin, deputy president Rigathi Gachagua is grappling with an uprising wave in his Central region.
The DP’s firm stance against alcoholic establishments across the region has caused a stir, and bar owners have vehemently opposed his campaign.
Gachagua has commanded a brutal crackdown on bars and urged administrators to collaborate with national administrations to lessen the number of alcoholic establishments in the area.
Gachagua has been accused of being unsympathetic to the problems of tiny hustles that he swore to preserve, but there has been mounting resistance among traders.
When the DP visited Murang’a a week ago, he ordered a harsh crackdown on illicit brews as well, which appears to have opened a can of worms.
“All county governments in Mount Kenya region must reduce and revoke licences issued to bars and restaurants because they are the ones destroying the lives of our young generation…It is sad that bars in this region are more than shops. I must tell the truth because the situation in our towns and villages is wanting,” he said.
Already, the national administration officers in Murang’a county have moved to implement Gachagua’s directive, tipping traders for massive cancellation of licences in the coming days.
The move will see more than 2,000 new bar licences applicants denied approval and the current 2,291 trimmed to 1,000.
For instance, the authorities have classified all the bars across the country into six categories, locking out mighty clubs from village towns and limiting each urban centre to only one.
Lifting the lid on the growing dissent in the region over Gachagua’s one bar per town order, traders are crying foul that the move will not just kill businesses but livelihoods.
Murang’a Liquor Investors and Workers Union chair Agnes Njoki said “we will go to court if the government attempts to discriminate against us”.
Njoki said “it is not illegal as per our law to apply for bar licences and also to trade in liquor”.
She accused both President William Ruto and Gachagua of pursuing a populist line not backed by both law and common sense.
“The sector directly employs hundreds of thousands of non-skilled parents. What is required of them is to regulate the alcohol standards…You cannot burn the granary to rid it of rats,” she said.
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Kirinyaga Bar Owners Association, led by chairman Anthony Mucheke, has come out to oppose Gachagua.
Mucheke opined that if Gachagua’s proposal was to be enforced, bar owners and operators would lose their source of income, adding to the country’s already high unemployment rate.
“As Kirinyaga bar owners, we will not agree to his demand and neither will we close our businesses. It’s absurd to have people travel from one part of the county to another just to purchase alcohol from a single location,” Mucheke said.
“While we respect DP Gachagua, he should know that most bar operators and owners are from Central Kenya. So should the government choose to enforce his directive many Mt. Kenya residents will lose their livelihoods?”
DP Gachagua, who has vowed not to relent in his war against illicit brews and mushrooming bars, said consumption of illicit liquor had reached worrying levels, especially in the Mt. Kenya region.
“Bar and restaurant (license) tupeane moja kwa town. Hii ingine tufunge; wafungue saa kumi na moja hadi saa tatu. Tafadhali county commissioners and police please do your job. Let us save our children, let us save the next generation,” said Gachagua last week.
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