It's official, from today in Kenya you will not be able to sell alcohol if your business is located less than 300 metres from a primary, secondary school, kindergarten or any educational institution that receives students under the age of 18. The edict comes from the National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA), which will be tasked with monitoring whether the law is enforced and asking for penalties and sanctions if it is not. NACADA stated that the initiative is aimed at protecting school children from alcohol and drug abuse. NACADA Chief Executive Officer Anthony Omerikwa said the agency is conducting a crackdown in coordination with the relevant county and national government agencies to ensure strict compliance with the legal criteria for the location of these establishments.
Not only that, pubs will have to close directly during the day, while the 300-metre radius from schools becomes a 'no-go zone' as of today, and under the Alcoholic Drinks Control Act of 2010, there are fines of up to Kes. 500,000 for those who distribute alcohol in prohibited areas and repeat offences could also be punished with a prison sentence of up to three years.
This is the latest act in the government's crackdown, which, after the case of 23 people who died from the abuse of ethanol-fuelled craft alcohol, had ordered the police to close all illegal pubs in the country. As many as 6000 had been reported. Months later, how many of them have already reopened?