The government has declared a new approach to dismantle the illicit alcohol and drug trade by shifting focus to freezing the assets and funds believed to be proceeds of these criminal activities.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said his ministry will now work with the Asset Recovery Agency under the Attorney General’s office to seize property and finances linked to drug barons and suppliers of adulterated alcohol.

Murkomen expressed frustration over the slow progress in the fight against illegal alcohol and drug trafficking, noting that suspects often walk free after receiving lenient court fines, only to resume their operations without consequences.

He warned that such loopholes have emboldened offenders and undermined efforts to protect the youth and communities from the harm caused by these substances.

Speaking during the launch of the National Policy on the Prevention, Management, and Control of Alcohol, Drugs, and Substance Abuse in Kenya, the Cabinet Secretary said illicit trade not only threatens public health but also weakens families and fuels crime.

“We will be engaging the Asset Recovery Agency to see how best to make it more punitive first for those who are engaged in these acts, especially because they get very lenient fines,”  Murkomen said on Wednesday.

He added, “So maybe the best way is to take away the lorry, the car, their equipment, their businesses … the assets they have built over time and it’s important for Asset Recovery to appreciate that the law on Proceeds of Crime and Money Laundering as it is not only focusing on corruption but focusing on all crimes properly defined in the same law.”

Murkomen said the aim is to make the illegal trade in alcohol and drugs more costly by targeting assets and dismantling the financial networks behind it. He noted that proceeds recovered could be used to build rehabilitation centres, raise awareness, and support victims of substance abuse.

“Some of these proceeds from the accounts can be returned to build rehabilitation centres, create awareness and treat victims,” he said.

The Cabinet Secretary also addressed the challenges faced during enforcement, revealing that political interference often frustrates operations. “We have realised during the Jukwaa la Usalama public engagements why officers are targeted, especially by politicians,” he said.

Murkomen said his office has received numerous complaints from political leaders accusing certain OCSs of working against them. “They tell us…OCS is not doing a good job, oh… OCS so and so is fighting me and so and so is not supporting the government. We only come to discover later that it has nothing to do with the government, these are people selling adulterated alcohol, they are supplying these cheap sachets,” he said.

He explained how some individuals hiding behind political interests or public concern are in fact involved in illegal trade.

“When police officers take serious stands, they camouflage and come back either as government supporters or people interested in the well-being of their voters, only to realise later these are people who trade in illicit alcohol,” he added.

Murkomen also urged collaboration between judicial officers and administrators at the local level to improve the justice system’s handling of such cases.

He revealed that regional and county commissioners have been instructed to engage magistrates and judges through court users’ associations to create more awareness.

“The problem we have is these lenient fines and the high evidence threshold. It is important to have evidence but maybe we should look at the penal code and see if there can be certain presumptions that if you don’t have a licence, it is presumed otherwise,” the CS noted.

He emphasised the importance of strengthening enforcement from the grassroots level, starting with village elders, assistant chiefs, chiefs and OCSs. Officers who condone illegal trade, he warned, will face dismissal and legal action.