Residents of Ithirianga and Githundia villages in Kiharu, Murang’a county are protesting excessive consumption of illicit alcohol which they say have claimed the lives of their youths in the areas.
The residents claim that in the past three months, five people have died of alcohol-related complications and they fear more lives could be lost if nothing is done.
They said the illicit liquor which is brewed at home by people known to them have turned young men into zombies and are no longer productive.
They say their efforts to fight this vice have been futile as they lack backup from the security agents and administration officers who they claim get bribes for the local brewers.
Bernard Gachanja, a village elder says that the problem has been in the area for more than three decades and it has become a thorn in their flesh.
“There was a time we had a vigilant group and we used to raid the brewing dens but we did not get backing from the security agents. The brewing dens have becomes a cash cow for some government officials, ” he said.
Esther Wanjiru, one of the residents who has lost a son due to complications related to excessive alcoholism, narrated that she found it difficult to fight the vice alone as her son would not listen to her advice.
“We tried warning him to stop taking alcohol but all our advice fell on deaf ears,” she lamented.
“If the government can do something about these illicit brews, it can be a relief for us because we fear for the future of our children who might fall in the same trap,” she added.
Nancy Waiyego, a village elder and one of the victims of alcohol say that alcoholism among the youths in the region has also affected the economic growth of the young people.
“Even if they get menial jobs and they get paid, they don’t come home with a single coin. All the money is spent on the brews,” she said.
She also said this has led to increased cases of criminal activities as the youth steal anything they find on their way to get money for alcohol.
“We feel helpless watching our children being wasted away by these brews and their future is very grim,” she said.
