Kirinyaga County Commissioner Shufaa Omar Mwijuma has ordered the closure of two bars in Kagio and Kutus that she accused of hosting nude dancers, as authorities intensify a wider crackdown on illicit and counterfeit alcohol.
Mwijuma said one of the establishments in Kagio, on the Ndia side of the town, allegedly hosts dancers every night, while another outlet in Kutus is said to bring in dancers every Friday.
She said she would personally lead an operation in Kagio on Thursday to shut down the establishment.
“On Thursday we will be in Kagio to close a bar where ladies are dancing naked,” Mwijuma said, adding that the practice would not be allowed in the county.
The commissioner said authorities had gathered intelligence on the two outlets and would move to close them completely.
“These two bars should be closed completely,” she said.
Mwijuma also raised concerns over similar activities in Kerugoya, saying the issue was part of a wider problem that authorities needed to address. She made the remarks during a meeting with chiefs, assistant chiefs and other stakeholders convened to discuss measures to eliminate illicit and counterfeit alcohol in Kirinyaga.
The meeting came as the county began a 14-day multi-agency crackdown targeting the manufacture, distribution and sale of illicit and counterfeit alcohol. The operation brings together security agencies, the National Government Administration, Kirinyaga County Government, NACADA, KRA, KEBS, the Anti-Counterfeit Authority and community representatives.
NACADA Deputy Director for Compliance Amos Warui said uncontrolled licensing of alcohol outlets remained a concern and called for residents to participate in the next licensing cycle.
Warui said communities should have a say in determining the number of alcohol outlets operating in their areas, while also raising concerns over bars and restaurants permitted to operate between 11am and 11pm.
NACADA states that liquor licensing is a function of county governments, meaning decisions on alcohol-selling outlets are handled at county level.
Head of Special Programmes and Creative Economy Dennis Itumbi said the 14-day operation would target networks involved in manufacturing and distributing illicit and counterfeit alcohol.
“The burial has been announced today, the rest of it is reading the eulogy and putting the soil on the grave,” Itumbi warned manufacturers of illicit and counterfeit brews.
The crackdown follows renewed concern over illicit alcohol in Kirinyaga, where 17 people died in February 2024 after consuming suspected illicit liquor in Kangai and Kandongu areas of Mwea West.
Authorities are expected to continue intelligence gathering and enforcement operations across the county during the 14-day campaign.
