A recent government decision to ban the trade in cheap alcohols marks a starting point in addressing the widespread alcohol epidemic in various parts of the country, especially the former Central Province.
However, tackling alcoholism effectively will require a comprehensive approach that considers multiple factors contributing to this issue.
Several key points need urgent consideration:
- Excessive alcohol consumption is not solely driven by the availability of affordable brews. Instead, it often results from decreased incomes leading to increased alcohol consumption.
- The widespread nature of excessive alcohol consumption can be attributed to various socio-economic factors in Kenya, including:
- The perceived emasculation of the boy child and denigration of the male gender in Kenyan society
- High levels of youth unemployment and lack of hope for the future among the younger generation
- Increased poverty among the poor, particularly in rural areas, and growing economic inequalities
- Pursuit of economic policies that focus on macro-level development without adequately addressing micro-level economies
- Lack of virtue in public morals and the prioritization of wealth as a core societal value
- Corruption within regulatory and policing authorities, coupled with a lack of ethics in governance
Historical experience suggests that banning alcohol is effective only in countries with strict Sharia law implementation. In secular democracies, such bans often lead to the creation of black markets, resulting in alcohol smuggling, illegal brewing, and increased corruption and consumption of other substances like marijuana.
