Police in Ruiru, Kiambu County, have uncovered an unlawful distillery operating inside a posh residential home in Kahawa Sukari Estate, recovering over 1,000 litres of ethanol and assorted counterfeit liquor of unknown value.
During the operation, two people were nabbed by the multi-agency team that included the local administration, as police raised fears that the liquor might have found its way to the local vendors.
According to Charles Kibathi, the Officer Commanding Police Division (OCPD), the two, together with their accomplices, also had over 10,000 bottles ready for packaging to sell to various outlets in the area.
Additionally, the team also recovered the taxman's counterfeit stamps that the self-authorised distillers were using to okay their unscrupulous trade.
During the operation, the police revealed that the owner of the house managed to escape the dragnet of the officers and has since gone into hiding.
However, officers from the DCI have since launched an intensified search operation to bring him to justice over risking thousands of lives and engaging in unlawful activity.
''This unlawful drink is being brewed here, and we have discovered 136 cartons of the substance. We have also discovered 1,000 litres of ethanol stored in tanks here," Kibathi stated.
''The owner of this house, who had rented the space, has managed to evade our dragnet. Our officers from the investigative agencies are on their hot pursuit.''
Julius Too, the Deputy County Commissioner of Ruiru, appealed to the area residents to be on the lookout to avoid the consumption of the unlawful substance that would pose a risk to their lives.
''The problem is that this was being done in a residential area. Therefore, we would like to appeal to the local residents to be on the lookout,'' Too cautioned.
Kahawa Sukari Member of County Assembly Kennedy Odhiambo warned the local joints in the area to be on the lookout for the cheap and counterfeit liquor that could be sold to them by the accused.
In October 2023, detectives from DCI recovered counterfeit liquor drinks and stamps at Kahawa Sukari in Kiambu and Kamulu in Nairobi counties.
About 1078 bottles of counterfeit drinks, a roll of counterfeit stamps, 630 litres of ethanol, 10,300 empty bottles and four sacks of assorted bottle caps were recovered in the raid.
