The government and the private sector have been urged to enroll workers in the civil service who are addicted to alcohol and other substances in rehabilitation centres instead of sacking them.
Meru County Alcoholic and Drinks Control Board Chief Executive Officer Dr Mbabu Muguna said alcohol addiction is a disease like any other and victims should be treated instead of being punished.
He said victims of alcohol addiction need rehabilitation and counseling before being readmitted to their work stations.
Speaking to the media in Meru town, Dr Muguna said the latest statistics show that 30 percent of teachers and civil servants are alcohol addicts.
“Alcohol addicts need our help and not condemnation. Let them be taken to rehab for treatment instead of being sacked,” said Dr Muguna.
He said the County government is building a rehabilitation centre at Kirua market in Buuri constituency with a bed capacity of 100 patients.
The CEO said the construction started after realising the challenges alcohol addicts are facing and especially in accessing private rehabs which are very expensive.
The centre at Kirua market is in the final stages of completion.
This is the first phase being built at a 12 acre piece of land and is meant for men while the second phase will be for women, said Dr Muguna.
He said Meru county has five private rehabilitation centres which are full.
“They are also very expensive with the facilities charging Sh 150,000 – Sh 200,000 per full course. Ours will be affordable and will have accreditation to NHIF,” said the CEO.
He however said public sensitisation on alcohol abuse had borne fruits, noting that they use road shows and public meetings to communicate with residents.
“Currently nobody in Meru can drink expired alcohol because we have educated them.
We have also banned bars from operating in residential estates,” noted Dr Muguna.
He cautioned traders against opening bars near learning institutions or selling alcohol to school age children and warned that those found flouting the law will be arrested, prosecuted and their premises shut down.
“The Act clearly states that alcohol should not be sold 300 metres near any basic education institution. Bar owners should have signs and writings to ensure alcohol is not sold to the underage.
Even if the bar is located a kilometer away and we discover the operator is selling alcohol to children, we arrest and charge the culprits immediately,” said Dr Muguna.
He regretted that consumption of cheap and readily available illicit brews had led to high school drop out rate and poor living standards.
“Apart from causing school drop out and poor living standards, illicit brews also pose health hazards because they are manufactured in unhygienic conditions,” said the CEO.
He called on school principals to ensure they carefully ransack all students at the gate before they are allowed into the school compound in a bid to ensure they don’t sneak alcohol or drugs in school.
The CEO lauded the police and the judiciary for being cooperative in the fight against alcohol.
He however regretted that the court is not strict on those with fake licenses because they have only won two cases out of the 10 they have filed in court so far.
