Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera and the Deputy County Commissioner Moses Gicharu have declared illicit liquor and substance abuse as a threat to the sub county’s future.
The duo made the assertion Thursday during Madaraka day celebrations at Archbishop Njenga Girls High School grounds in Chekalini location.
Gicharu said the fight against illicit brews and other hard drugs needs concerted of security agencies, administrators, elected leaders and the community if it is to be won.
He lauded Nabwera and Chekalini Ward Representative Titus Kwoma for coming out aggressively to fight illicit liquor that is endangering the Lugari community’s future.
‘The two leaders have exceptionally done well. They have come out and joined us in the fight without the fear of losing votes. As elected leaders just like us the administrators they have realized that if nothing is done Lugari will be no more in the next few years,’ Gicharu said.
‘Let us work together to eliminate these brews and other drugs so that we can realize the community’s development agenda,’ said Gicharu and warned bar owners of dire consequences if they continue breaching the operating time stipulated in their licenses.
‘We cannot have a community that drinks from morning to evening without working. We have a number of licensed bar owners within Lugari who are operating outside the required time. Here in Lugari there is no single bar that qualifies to operate for 24 hours,’ he said.
Nabwera who is a first-time lawmaker said there is no way the constituency can be at peace when its residents’ security is not guaranteed.
He said: ‘Our DCC we have a big challenge in our hands. The biggest issues affecting Lugari’s security negatively are aimless consumption of illicit brews and smoking of bhang and other hard drugs.’
‘We cannot have a constituency where we drink for 24 hours. We are not preventing anyone from taking alcohol but what we are saying is that let us do it at the right time,’ he added.
Nabwera urged illicit brew makers to venture into alternative business activities that will not destroy the community in the long run. ‘Today I want to announce here that we are kick-starting here in Chekalini ward the ‘rehabilitation’ program we recently launched in
Mautuma ward,’ he noted.
‘If you are an illicit brew maker and you want to shift to a different business just register with the chief and we shall take you for training put you into groups of 20 people and give your business capital. I have grown up in Lugari and I never witnessed our parents take alcohol in the morning as it is happening now,’ he said.
Nabwera appealed to members of the public to cooperate with administrators, security agencies and other government officers to transform the constituency by eliminating illicit liquor and drugs as nobody will come from outside to do that for them.
‘We must agree. If we want our children to go to school, study and excel we cannot afford to sell bhang and alcohol next to their schools,’ he stated.
Source: Kenya News Agency