In a decisive pre-dawn strike, a multi-agency security team led by the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) has dismantled a major illicit alcohol den in Nairobi’s Kahawa West, pouring over 10,000 litres of toxic Kangara into the sewers.

The operation, conducted in the sprawling Soweto village, is a direct implementation of Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen’s directive for a 100-day rapid results initiative to wipe out illicit brews nationwide.

Acting on intelligence, the combined force of NACADA’s enforcement unit, the National Government Administration Officers (NGAO) and an elite police unit drawn from the National Police Service (NPS) from the Nairobi Regional security team descended on the site at around 5 am (Saturday, August 23) hours. The brewers fled into the darkness, escaping the dragnet but abandoning their poisonous enterprise.

The raiding team discovered a massive operation. They destroyed 30 twenty-litre jerricans brimming with ready-to-sell Chang’aa. The mission’s primary target was the source itself: vast boiling tanks and plastic drums used for distilling the lethal Kangara were systematically destroyed, ensuring the facility can never again produce the illicit brew. The operation was concluded successfully by 8:30 am with no casualties reported.

NACADA Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Anthony Omerikwa, hailed the operation as a testament to the power of multi-agency collaboration. “This crackdown is a clear signal to the peddlers of death that their days are numbered. The Authority is working closely with all multi-agency teams across the country to ensure full implementation of the CS’s directive with the broader goal of ensuring the country is safe from the harms of illicit and counterfeited alcohol,” he stated.

Dr. Omerikwa extended his gratitude to CS Murkomen for his unwavering support and issued a rallying call to the public. “We thank the CS for his leadership. We now urge every Kenyan to be our eyes and ears. Share information with your local authorities or use our toll-free, 24-hour hotline, 1192. Together, we will reclaim our communities from this scourge.”