Nyeri County government has announced vacancies in the directorate of alcoholic drinks control and management amid a public outcry by Mathira sub-county bar owners over the four-month closure of their bars.
In the new vacancies, Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga seeks to enlist the services of two members of the County liquor committee and eight members of the sub-county liquor committee drawn from all the constituencies in the county.
In the job advertisement, the county expressly bars individuals with licenses for the sale, manufacture or distillation of alcoholic drinks from applying.
Similarly, applicants with business or financial interests in companies of licensees are barred from tendering their applications.
Undischarged bankruptcies and individuals who have been imprisoned in the past without the option of a fine are also discouraged from applying.
Nyeri bar owners
In May 2024, Central regional commander Frederick Shisia convened a meeting with Nyeri bar owners to forge a phased approach to reopening closed bars in the county but Mathira County bar owners continue to count losses.
Attempts to reopen bars in Mathira, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s backyard, were met by State forces.
While other sub-counties in Nyeri have agreed on a reopening formula, Mathira bars have remained closed for the last four months.
In a petition to the national government by 400 Mathira Bar owners, the association’s chairman Charles Wachira Ngatia says the closure has negatively affected the businesspeople who depend on the entertainment joints as a source of livelihood.
While the County insists the bars remain closed due to their proximity to learning institutions and churches, several other businesses have been affected, turning Mathira into a ghost town.
Bodaboda operators in the area have equally voiced their concerns, stating that most of their clients were night revellers they used to ferry home but that is no longer the case.
In February 2024, Nyeri County passed a bill seeking to provide for the management, control, licensing and regulation of the production, sale, distribution and consumption of alcoholic drinks.
The law allows tough punitive measures to be taken against the manufacturers of alcoholic drinks who manufacture and distribute adulterated products in the County. Offenders could be jailed for up to ten years in prison or be forced to pay up to Ksh10 million.
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