DP Gachagua orders crackdown on 24-hour clubs in Mt Kenya region

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has vowed not to relent in the fight against alcoholism in the central region.

Gachagua said alcoholism has taken a toll on young men in the region and poses the risk of wasting away an entire generation.

Speaking in Murang’a on Thursday, January 26 when he graced a bursary awarding ceremony by the county government, the deputy president said he will not sit back and watch people dying after consuming lethal alcohol adding that it’s time to act.

The second in command urged the administration officers to up their game in this fight and ensure they eradicate illicit brews in the area.

Further, the DP urged all the county governments in the region not to renew all the licenses for the bar operators saying this is the only way to stem the vice.

He said the revenue being collected from the permits cannot be equated to the lives of the people who are dying due to alcohol consumption adding that there are many sectors where the counties can derive revenue from.

On his part Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata said alcoholism is threatening to cripple the education sector with the large number of youth being trapped into the addiction.

He said the county will subject the applications for the bar operators to thorough vetting before renewing their licenses.

Maragua MP Mary Waithira said alcoholism has been a thorn in the flesh of the residents of the region and it has wrecked down so many families.

Waithira urged the DP to ensure he eradicates alcoholism in the region and make it his legacy during his tenure.

The county disbursed KSh150 million to the needy students in the area. The deputy president also donated KSh1 million to sponsor the orphaned children.