Former National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) Chairman John Mututho has called on Deputy President(DP) Rigathi Gachagua to consider him in fighting alcoholism in the country.
Speaking on Wednesday, January 18, during an interview with Kameme FM, Mututho stated that Gachagua was using the wrong strategy to fight alcohol abuse.
He challenged the DP to try his ways and stop firing chiefs because they were not in a position to end the abuse of drugs.
Mututho also made it clear that he was not asking for a job but was willing to volunteer for the government free of charge.
“Leave the chiefs alone, they can’t fight alcoholism. Call me and I will give you free service in fighting alcoholism. Only thirty days will be needed to fight this issue if they want to,” the former Naivasha Member of Parliament (MP) divulged.
The former NACADA boss further asked the government to come up with a task force that would help in coming up with a solution.
“Read about the special force I had suggested. It involved people from all sectors, even clergymen. I took it to the late George Saitoti and it was even forwarded to Fred Matiang’i but he also left it unattended.
They ignored it because if the task force is formed it will become a barrier for police officers to collect what they have been getting from these businesses,” he stated.
Mututho explained how he worked hard to curb the abuse even without receiving any support from the previous government of ex-president Uhuru Kenyatta.
“I tried my best and that's why I came up with the Mututho law. The government and NACADA did not fund me at any point,” he noted.
Expounding on how corruption was influencing the high abuse of alcohol, Mututho explained how taxes were being increased at a high level on other products than alcohol just because there were cartels behind the businesses.
“There are powerful organizations behind alcohol businesses. The new government will do great things. I have listened to them and I have high hopes in them,” he noted.
He further noted that the brands of alcohol traded in Kenya are harmful for consumption, giving alternatives that Kenyans should use.
“All brands of alcohol are not good. I would advise Kenyans to embrace the traditional brews since they are purely made in the traditional ways,” he explained.
Gachagua's move to fire chiefs attracted a lot of criticism from Mt Kenya leaders including Jubilee Party Secretary-General, Jeremiah Kioni who warned the DP against causing panic within the region.
