Bungoma bar owners oppose 21 days ultimatum

Written by Daniel Saenyi

Bar owners and manufacturers in Bungoma County have opposed a 21day ultimatum issued to them by the District Alcoholic Drinks Regulation Committees in charge of registering manufacturers and operators as part of operationalising the Alcoholic Drinks Control Act 2010. Majority of the bar owners said they are opposed to directives insisting it is a short time for them to acquire licenses and that it is a move to bring them down. Mr. Steve Wambilianga, a Bar Manager in Bungoma said that they were supposed to acquire the licenses in December last year but the government delayed and charged that “the government cannot just ambush us and expect that we get licenses in such a short time.” “These licenses were supposed to be issued in December last year so we blame the government for the delay and they should not just ambush us, they should at least give 6 months to acquire the new licenses because the process alone takes 3 months,” he lamented. He also insisted that licenses should be differentiated in clusters of liquor, refreshments and hotelier because noting that all these categories of business people get the same rates for the licenses. “I would like to request the price for liquor licenses to be lowered because currently we are paying Sh. 80,000 as compared to last year’s Sh.5, 000. With the new law imposed you cannot expect, me to raise Sh.8000 in three weeks, that’s a very little time,” Said Mr. Steve. He added that the price for the liquor license should be lowered and local brew Chang’aa should not be legalized in bars as it would bring much competition. ‘’Chang’aa should not be allowed in bars because it will ruin the sales for other drinks, it has high alcohol content and it is very cheap so many customers will opt for Chang’aa to get drunk instantly,” he added. Mr. Phasa Khaoya, a local bar owner also consented with Mr. Wambilianga’s opinion, he said the price should be lowered to at least Sh5,000 and the time frame should be raised to at least four months. “The government should get the opinion of the citizens before enforcing such laws on us, we are the ones affected by their decision and they should give us the first priority. How do they expect the small business owners to manage such bill in such short time? Chang’aa should never be legalized because this will mean that our businesses will go down the drain as many people will go for the fast knock out,” observed Khaoya. Mr. Victor Ambasi, also a bar manager was highly opposed to the bill and said it is a way to close them down. “We have been given such a short time considering the amount of money we have to raise, we should get more time like 3 months. And Chang’aa should not even be debated about being legalized because for one, it is a straight health hazard, many people get blind just for taking the stuff,” Ambasi said. NACADA chairman Dr. Frank Njenga said the law was not reinforced earlier because members of the district committees had not been gazetted. Mr. Frank also added that Chang’aa brewers are eligible to acquire licenses and they will be treated just like any normal alcohol dealer. “Before the law, all manufacturers and retailers of any alcoholic substances are equal and we are not discriminating against any of them. So the manufacturer of Chang’aa will go to the same district committee as the big breweries… that is the extent to which the law has changed in this country,” Dr Njenga said. In December, the government gazetted the rules and regulations to govern issuance of licenses to those who wish to operate alcohol-related businesses and the rules provide for the hours of operation for various establishments and the fee payable for each category of license. Since the enactment of the Alcoholic Drinks Control Act 2010, most retailers had been operating with the old licenses some of which are already expired.