EMALI, Kenya, Jan 9 — The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) has intensified its nationwide crackdown on illicit alcohol, raiding a residential complex in Emali Town and seizing more than 5,000 litres of counterfeit brew in a multi-agency operation that led to one arrest.
The operation comes barely a day after President William Ruto convened a high-level meeting at State House, where substance abuse was declared a national development and security emergency, triggering a renewed enforcement drive across the country.
Addressing officers and residents at the scene, NACADA Chief Executive Officer Anthony Omerikwa said the Authority had escalated its supply-suppression strategy and would now pursue not only arrests but also the seizure of assets linked to the illegal alcohol trade.
“NACADA is at the forefront of a coordinated national response to this menace,” Dr Omerikwa said. “The so-called ‘big fish’ should take notice. We are no longer sparing anyone, and we will pursue all those financing this deadly trade.”
He said the government would invoke asset forfeiture laws against individuals found to have acquired property through the proceeds of illicit brewing.
“As directed by the President, any assets proven to be linked to these illegal activities will be seized. The era of untouchables is over,” he added.
The raid uncovered an unlicensed bar operating within a housing complex, highlighting what NACADA described as deeply embedded networks producing and distributing illicit alcohol within residential areas.
Authorities said the seized brew was part of a well-coordinated syndicate that uses industrial yeast to accelerate fermentation, producing highly potent and dangerous alcohol unfit for human consumption.
Dr Omerikwa commended members of the public for providing intelligence that led to the successful operation, noting that citizen cooperation has been critical in exposing previously protected networks.
“We commend the public for coming forward with information that is enabling the arrest of individuals who once considered themselves above the law,” he said.
NACADA has urged members of the public to continue sharing information confidentially through its 24-hour toll-free hotline, 1192, as the intensified nationwide crackdown enters what the Authority described as a decisive phase.
