THE WAR ON ILLICIT BREW: Is alcohol in the bottle the problem?.

The Kenyan president recently announced a countrywide ‘war’ on illicit brew.

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Following this announcement, the country has experienced numerous incidents of attacks on pubs, businesses and factories suspected to be involved in the illicit drinks distribution.
Close to ten people have lost their lives within two day operations across the counties.

This however, isn’t my point here!
They say desperate times call for desperate measures. I feel like the Kenyan president was compelled to take this desperate measure by flexing his muscle to ensure the illicit brewing and drinking menace is handled once and for all!
One thing the fist isn’t addressing here is what i call the ROOT CAUSE for increased rate of drunkenness, most especially in specific regions of the country.
The ‘why’ for this situation isn’t being handled by the physical attacks on alcohol businesses. Are we simply saying the alcohol is the problem here?
looking at the living standards of the majority of young men drinking their lungs out, it is evident that 90% of them have no stable employment.
Most of them actually drink not because it their choice but due to frustrations in life as a result of joblessness, poverty, unattained dreams, poor parenting, lack of role models and mentorship, peer pressure among others.
Is the approach of torching down local alcohol dens and licensed drink manufacturers providing solutions to these situations?
What is the government doing to handle the real problems of it’s citizens living below the poverty level?
It is without doubt that this whole excitement over the war on illicit brew will be over in a matter of days if not weeks, based on the social set up of Kenya and ‘precedents’ set in previous cases.
The main concern here is, when all is said and done, what value will be added to the local men and women who drink out of life frustrations and socioeconomic challenges, apart from women getting pregnant as a welcome call to their long lost husbands?

What will happen to the men and women who may not have been drunkards but invested their time in the manufacturing factories so as to get daily bread for their families?

I fully support the president’s decision to fish out this menace , however, i feel like we need these questions answered too:
Is there a long term plan to provide a sustainable and lasting solution to this situation?
I alcohol in the bottle the main problem here?
Have we educated our youth enough to enable them make responsible informed choices, whether alcohol is involved or not?

magerodeo@gmail.com