NYERI, Kenya — Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has announced the formation of a special multi-agency unit to lead nationwide crackdowns on illicit alcohol, drugs, and adulterated ethanol.
Speaking in Nyeri during the Jukwaa la Usalama forum, Murkomen said the team will bring together officers from the National Police Service, NACADA, KRA, KEBS, and other agencies to conduct coordinated sting operations across the country.
“We have agreed to establish a national multi-agency team that will ensure compliance and enforce the law. Where reinforcement is needed, the national team will be deployed to support county security teams,” Murkomen said.
The CS revealed that Nyeri has increasingly become a transit hub for narcotics and adulterated ethanol destined for various regions, with some drugs cultivated in Mt. Kenya forests.
He said the government is intensifying the search for rogue businesspeople behind the illegal trade.
“Cannabis sativa remains a major challenge across the country. Nyeri is a transit route for Ethiopia, Marsabit, Isiolo and Busia.
Some of these drugs end up here while others are cultivated locally. We will use a multi-agency approach to dismantle these networks,” Murkomen added.
While Nyeri ranks relatively low — at number 41 nationally — in alcohol and drug proliferation, Murkomen said counties in Western, Nyanza, and Nairobi remain hotspots.
Kiambu leads in Central Kenya due to its proximity to Nairobi, followed by Murang’a.
The CS disclosed that at least five individuals are behind much of the country’s illicit ethanol trade, with some operating from Laikipia County. One suspect was arrested this week in a sting operation.
He linked substance abuse to rising cases of suicide, mental health struggles, and gender-based violence, warning that the government will sustain operations until the vice is “completely decimated.”
Plans are underway to expand the operations to Laikipia and extend the Jukwaa la Usalama security forums to Western and Nyanza, where Murkomen said similar strategies will be applied.
