Embu county authorities have raised concerns over the innumerable number of bars, said to be the root cause of most of the ills in the county.
According to the Eastern Regional Commissioner Isaiah Nakoru, Embu has a whopping 2,008 number of bars, in comparison to only 532 schools.
He also faulted the Embu County Alcoholic Drinks Act, which set drinking hours from 2pm to 11pm. This is contrary to the national alcohol drinking hours, however, start three hours later at 5pm.
“We have engaged the Embu county government on the issue of licensing too many bars and setting longer drinking hours. They have promised us that the assembly is working to amend that law,” Nakoru said.
The unconventional bars, inevitably reflect in the increase of drunks, which Mr Nakoru said has a direct impact on the county’s economy.
This comes as Health CS Sicily Kariuki recently passed a called for the reduction of number of bars with 24-hour licenses, saying that it automatically translates to people being drunk during the day when they should be productive.