The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse has seized hundreds of crates of counterfeit spirits valued at roughly three million shillings during a dawn raid in Narok town.
The operation, carried out on Friday, also led to the arrest of a well known distributor believed to be a major figure in the region’s illicit alcohol trade.
Officers recovered large quantities of spirits carrying fraudulent Kenya Revenue Authority stamps. The drinks will undergo laboratory testing to determine their composition amid concerns that the products could pose serious health risks.
NACADA chief executive Anthony Omerikwa said the raid was the culmination of a sustained campaign targeting illegal brews in remote parts of Narok County. He noted that the crackdown extended to a neighbouring border town suspected of serving as a route for uncustomed alcohol entering the country.
Omerikwa warned that the agency would escalate action against manufacturers and distributors who have enabled the spread of unsafe products. He said NACADA would not hesitate to cancel licences and pursue prosecutions for companies found to be complicit in the trade.
He linked the heightened operations to increased surveillance during the festive period, a time when illegal alcohol networks typically expand activity. Omerikwa said the agency’s focus was to protect vulnerable communities from the dangers posed by unregulated and often toxic brews.
The raid comes amid broader national efforts to tighten oversight of the alcohol industry. Officials say that counterfeit spirits remain a persistent problem in several counties, with criminal networks taking advantage of gaps in enforcement and public demand for low cost drinks.
