KIRINYAGA, Kenya – The government will reinstate chiefs and assistant chiefs in Kirinyaga County who were interdicted after 17 people died from consuming illicit alcohol last year.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the officials were unfairly punished, noting that they had actively tried to fight illegal brews but were undermined by weaknesses in the judicial system.
“After evaluating the situation, it seems it was not these chiefs’ fault. They were fighting illicit alcohol, but when the culprits are taken to court, they are freed,” Murkomen said during a visit to Kirinyaga.
He added: “We have decided to reinstate them; we are finalising that process, and they will all resume work.”
The CS blamed a “judicial problem” in handling illicit alcohol cases, saying repeat offenders often return to the trade after being released by courts.
The interdicted chiefs and their assistants were sent home in 2024 after the deaths in Kangai and Kandongu villages.
At the time, then-Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said the officials and local police officers had failed to stop the trade of deadly liquor.
The decision sparked criticism from some leaders and residents, who argued that the administrators were being used as scapegoats for wider enforcement failures.
Murkomen’s directive now clears the way for the officials’ return to duty as the government steps up efforts to stamp out the illicit alcohol menace.
