- Police and county reports indicate they have attained more than 90 per cent success in the war against illicit alcohol in Uasin Gishu.
- The police boss said they are currently receiving many reports of withdrawal symptoms affecting youth.
Police in Eldoret say they have almost wiped out illicit alcohol within Uasin Gishu county following a sustained crackdown that has seen most of brewing dens demolished.
County Commander Benjamin Mwanthi said the county is now facing a major challenge related to withdrawal syndrome mostly among youth who can no longer access the illicit alcohol they were used to.
“Whatever is left as concerns illicit alcohol in Uasin Gishu is very minimal. Our target is to completely wipe out the problem of illicit brews, and so far our officers have done a commendable job in all parts of the county,” Mwanthi said.
Police and county reports indicate they have attained more than 90 per cent success in the war against illicit alcohol in Uasin Gishu.
The police boss said they are currently receiving many reports of withdrawal symptoms affecting youth who had been accessing illicit alcohol easily in most areas.
“We urge parents to work with other stakeholders so that the youth suffering from withdrawal symptoms can be assisted to recover and engage in gainful work,” he said.
Mwanthi said they would continue to enforce the crack down on the brews until Uasin Gishu is declared free from illicit alcohol.
Hundreds of people have been charged in courts in Eldoret daily in connection with manufacturing and selling the illicit alcohol.
The police boss said general crime rates had also gone down in Uasin Gishu due to partnership between security agencies and members of the public.
On Wednesday, police arrested five suspects who were found dismantling stolen cars at a house under construction.
Mwanthi said the five, including the owner of the house, were arrested within Kapsoya estate following a tip off from members of the public.
He said spare parts for several vehicles were found in the house where police also recovered eight TV sets and other items after a search.
Mwanthi said the suspects were part of a wider syndicate involved in theft of vehicles across the country.
“Our officers were tipped about the abandoned house where there were some suspicious people. Our officers acted immediately and went to the scene where the suspects were apprehended.”
He spoke at Kapsoya police station where the recovered items were displayed. He was with County DCI chief Daniel Muleli among other senior officers.
The items displayed included the vehicle spare parts, TV sets, car log books, passports and many car keys.
“We also found implements for dismantling vehicles and breaking into houses,” said Mwanthi.
He said police had in the recent past managed to deal with rampant cases of vehicle theft in the region and the latest incident was an isolated case.
“Currently we have very few cases of car theft with only two reported in the recent past because we had managed to dismantle the cartels involved.”
Muleli said the Kapsoya incident was under investigations and that the suspects would be arraigned in court.
He assured members of the public in the region that security teams were alert to ensure crime incidents are dealt with.