Liquor Outlets in Naivasha Shut Down

The Naivasha Bar Owners Association has called on Nakuru county government to review the annual liquor licenses current fees as punitive.

The bar owners indicated that almost 20 percent of liquor outlets in the country had closed due to the high cost of doing business in the country as a result of the ever-rising inflation coupled with the unfair trading practices in the industry.

Recently Nakuru County embarked on vetting all the liquor licenses after failing to meet set stands ahead of issuing them with trading licenses for this year.

“Despite employing tens of area residents, bar owners have continued to suffer at the hands of the county and law enforcers leading to the closure of over 20 per cent of liquor outlets.’’ Naivasha Bar Owners Association secretary Joseph Maina indicated.

The bar owners say that they pay up to Sh 50,000 for the liquor license a figure the association terms as too high and unaffordable to most bar owners.

The association leadership has however praised the county government for engaging them as this could help in addressing the current challenges facing them.

“We have agreed that going forward there will be no harassment by the law enforcers and that the county will address the high liquor licensing fees,” he said.

On the set six to eight operating hours, Maina has decried the low hours they are working compared to other sectors noting that it is a contributor to the collapse of the sector.

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Speaking after meeting the sector’s leadership, Naivasha sub-county administrator Catherine Muiruri has said that they have prepared the traders on the conditions required before getting operating licenses.

Muiruri noted that all bars within 300 meters from schools, churches, hospitals and estates will not get licensed in line with the law.

“Around 250 bars have applied for new liquor licenses yet we have over 2,000 liquor outlets in this town and we shall close those flouting the law,” she said.

The county government is ready to review the existing waiver and the licensing fees which the traders claimed to be too high.

“We are keen to bring sanity in this sector as it contributes a lot to the county economy and this can be achieved through joint collaboration with the stakeholders,” Catherine Muiruri.