Four police officers were on Sunday arrested at a drinking den in Kirinyaga, a day after the county's governor, Anne Waiguru, ordered all bars and clubs to remain shut.
The officers were nabbed at a drinking den in Mwea roughly a day after the directive was issued.
Reports indicated that members of the public first tipped off local authorities who ambushed the four officers at the Mtitu Andei Bar in Ngurubani.
The officers were drinking while in the company of other customers who escaped the raid once law enforcement personnel led by the area chief stormed the joint.
They were arrested alongside the owner of the joint who was present during the raid.
Waiguru ordered all bars and clubs operating in the county to shut down and reapply for licenses afresh.
She was speaking during the burial ceremony of the 17 individuals who passed away after drinking illicit brew.
“I have today ordered the closure of all bars in Kirinyaga to pave the way for fresh vetting, those bars that will be found to have been operating without license or had previous cases of selling unauthorised products will not be allowed to open again,” she told the congregation.
“We have put in place tighter liquor outlets registration and inspection mechanisms that require the support of the law enforcement agencies to implement. This has been the missing link."
Waiguru further noted that all operators will be mandated to ensure that their products conform to standards set out by the Kenya Bureau of Standards.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, on the other hand, pointed an accusatory finger toward Chief Justice Martha Koome over the rising cases of the sale of illicit brew in Mt. Kenya.
He claimed that the court had repeatedly set free some of the perpetrators behind the illegal trade.
The 17 individuals passed away at the tail-end of January after consuming illicit liquor.
