This archive report was first published on 15 October 2021.
On September 29, 2021, Kisii County Police Commander Francis Kooli met with members of the Nyagenke Women Self-Help Group at Nyagenke Village in Bomachoge Borabu Constituency, Kisii County. The women, who had previously been involved in the illicit brew business, had decided to change their ways after Kooli offered them support to start alternative businesses.
According to Josephine Moraa, the chairperson of the Nyagenke Women Self-Help Group, the women realized that alcohol consumption had ruined their families, making their husbands irresponsible and their children to drop out of school. They decided to make a change and discard the long-held tradition of making illicit brews.
Beatrice Gechemba, a member of the group, shared a personal story of how her husband and two sons died due to alcohol addiction. She regretted the magnitude of destruction illicit brews caused for most families.
With the support of Kisii County Police Commander Francis Kooli, the women have formed four groups, each specializing in vegetable farming, selling fish, selling maize, and selling chicken. Kooli leased two acres of land in Narok County for the women to engage in vegetable farming, aiming to promote peaceful coexistence between the Abagusii and Maasai communities.
As the world marks International Rural Women's Day on October 15, 2021, the women of Nyagenke Village are determined to change the face of their village and make it a case study in the elimination of illicit brews in Kisii County.
