A crackdown was on Wednesday launched on illicit brews, illegal drinking dens and unlicensed liquor outlets in Kirinyaga County.

Over 30 bar operators have since been arrested and their illegal establishments closed following the National Police Service-led multi agency operation.

Twelve of these were arrested in Wang’uru town, another dozen in Ndia sub-county, while the remaining bootleggers were nabbed in Gichugu.

According to Dennis Muciimi, the Kirinyaga County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Sports, Culture and Social Services, the closed outlets will remain inoperable until their owners conform to the County's Alcoholic Drinks Control Act.

He added that county officials have since inspected and cleared 1,600 liquor outlets, out of about 2,200 across the region, which have all conformed to the requirements laid out in the aforesaid Act.

On her part, Finance and Economic Planning CECM Jacqueline Njogu urged unlawful bar owners to stop operating illegally, noting that by doing so the county ends up losing millions in unpaid tax revenue.

“Everyone who owns a business should pay tax, even bar owners. You have to apply for an operating license in order to run your business,” she said.

“Kirinyaga hasn't been meeting its tax collection targets owing to illegal businesses and tax evasion. The county has been penalised by the national government as a result.”

The crackdown follows a directive by Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru who ordered security agents in the county to rein in unscrupulous alcohol sellers.

Governor Waiguru wants all unlicensed bars in the region as well as those operating within residential areas to be closed permanently.

She also wants bar owners to observe their tax obligations, noting that many liquor outlets have recovered from the restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic to limit spreading of the disease which affected their sales.

According to the Kirinyaga County boss, bar owners owe her administration Ksh.100 million in unpaid levies.

Bar owners in Kirinyaga are however against the ongoing crackdown noting that they are being coerced into paying licenses despite having an ongoing case in court over the same.

"We decided to close all our business yesterday because we were being harassed by the county government and national government despite a court case on February 15, 2023," Kirinyaga Bar Owners Association Chairman Anthony Mucheke said.