Licensing on the importation and exportation of alcoholic drinks will now be issued by the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA), in a new regulatory measure announced Tuesday.
NACADA Chief Executive Officer Victor Okioma said the move will ensure consumers are protected from illicit alcoholic drinks after substandard drinks flooded the market.
In the past, County Governments have been issuing such licenses to manufacturers- but Okioma said that it contravenes the law.
“This development comes after the authority took over the functions of licensing manufacturers and importers of alcoholic drinks after the Inter-Governmental Relations Technical Committee (IGRTC), which is the successor of the defunct Transition Authority (TA), advised that the liquor licensing function ought to be unbundled to enable the national and county governments take up the areas that fall within their respective constitutional mandates,” Okioma explained.
He said the NACADA license is meant to streamline the industry by providing details of the alcoholic manufacturer, brand origin among other considerations meant to help the tracking of products through the value chain.
“What we as the regulator is mostly concerned about is the health and safety of the consumer from unscrupulous businesses,” Okioma said.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has since directed the entertainment industry in partnership with the government to come up with regulatory measures that will curb the spread of Covid-19.
The industry has nearly been crippled, with many bars closing down due to the uncertainty occasioned by the Covid-19 containment measures.
