Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 113039,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/113039/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 344,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Mututho",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 97,
        "legal_name": "John Michael Njenga Mututho",
        "slug": "john-mututho"
    },
    "content": "in the Kalenjin community was not a very bad drink. It was a fairly strong drink just like vodka, rum and others. Over time, and I say this with a lot of pain, people around Kisii started mixing a concoction of sewage, molasses and other things to produce methanol or ethanol impurities which they call chang’aa. That is not chang’aa. It should have a specification if it has to be produced. It should be produced just like vodka. In a country like Russia where people have vodka for breakfast, you do not experience the problems that we have here. This is because they do not take banned substances or alcohols. I am talking about things that are meant for industrial use. Alcohol cannot be blamed or condemned. However, when people consume methanol or ethanol in the name of alcohol, then you have the kind of problems that we have. Amongst the Kikuyu there is a wine called “Muratina” which is good if prepared with the Muratina Tree, honey and then brewed properly under hygienic conditions. If it is filtered properly, that is a good drink. However, Muratina which is made of people’s clothes, sponges and molasses and is called “ Miti ni dawa” is not Muratina. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, the NACADA has done a very good job in the past. It specified the extent of alcohol abuse in Kenya. Whether we want to ignore these facts or not, they have produced a series of reports showing the problems we are in now and how deep we are entrenched in them. They have launched their own policy. I want to comfort hon. Members with the fact that this Bill is in harmony with the Government policy in relation to alcohol and its consumption. The Bill seeks to strengthen the licensing regime by having district alcoholic licensing boards that are professional by having a secretariat that is functional. I invite hon. Members to look at the details in the Bill. This will allow people to sit in a licensed office properly labeled as a licensing office. Today such an exercise is conducted by the District Commissioners and it lapses at the end of that exercise. It will also have professionals who are hired by the necessary authorities. The details of that are well described in this Bill. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, most of the functions have been borrowed from the old Act on liquor licensing. There is a very tedious exercise under which somebody can be licensed. I invite hon. Members to look at some of these sections. For example, if you are licensed to sell beer at particular hours and you continue doing so on credit, the law has always been there. We have just done “cutting and pasting” that the law cannot enforce collection of such a debt. If you want to sell beer on credit then you are doing it at your own risk and no statute can be used to force you to pay for that. If you continue selling beer to someone who is already flat, that is he or she cannot consume more alcohol, this Bill addresses what can be done and the penalties therein."
}