Why Kenya’s alcohol debate needs sober engagement, not ultimatums

And let’s not make any mistake, more responsible consumption of alcohol is a desirable social change. Around five percent of Kenyans are believed to suffer from alcohol abuse.

Still, Nacada’s statistics would indicate that young people over-index in their use of substances, which lays the road for future abuse and suffering. In addition to the human impact, in 2022, the World Bank estimated that Kenya loses more than Sh37 billion annually to alcohol and drug abuse.

However, it’s more complex than that. We all read with sadness the headlines unpacking the impact of illicit alcohol, and the Nairobi Hospital Health Risk Bulletin indicated a 38 percent rise in alcohol-related poisoning between 2022 and 2024, largely due to methanol laced counterfeit drinks.

Sixty percent of alcohol consumed in Kenya is illicit. Or as more corporate people might call it, ‘informal’.

And there’s the rub. The most powerful answers to more responsible alcohol consumption don’t just lie in legislating for what is currently legal, and many have billed these most recent recommendations as over-stringent and harmful to the economy.

Answers also lie in education and social behaviour change, initiatives that can be funded by the taxes generated by the sale of legitimate alcohol.

The proposals would have deep implications for the creative economy, which accounts for five percent of the economy, is growing 60 percent faster than the rest of it, and is a sector that legislators have pledged to protect and grow.

Read: State bans sale of alcohol in supermarkets, raises drinking age

This is about more than influencers with a headcount. Licensed premises are a source of income and a place of work for our creatives—the venues that would be closed are the places many of today’s entertainers spent the formative years of their careers.

The ecosystem in the world of entertainment is huge, stretching into music, fashion and all kinds of creative self-expression. If we stretch ourselves into sports, the sponsorship funding made available by alcohol brands provides support to players of all kinds, helping keep them off the streets and follow their dreams.

A rounded answer might look like informed policy, balanced with public-private partnerships that fund behaviour education, support individuals and communities, and change minds and behaviours.

With time on our side as Kenya decides on the right path, let’s consider how we can collaborate to drive social change in ways that protect people, protect careers and protect the economy.

In 2024, AB InBev–joined the Coalition Against Illicit Alcohol (CAIA)—alongside government bodies, civil society, faith groups, academia, and others from the private sector — to mount a coordinated response against unregulated, high–alcohol content spirits.

Conceived and executed in partnership between Brands on a Mission and Ogilvy Africa, the Rise Above campaign educated on health risks, promoted alternatives, provided youth outreach and firmly supported enforcement of the government’s National Alcohol Policy.

Although the impact of this campaign will be felt over many years, initial results showed 70 percent of people were considering how to reduce their consumption of illicit alcohol, with one-in-three reporting they might stop completely.

This initiative stands as a clear example of what’s possible when diverse stakeholders align around a common goal—and hints at the even greater impact we could achieve if the entire industry rallied behind such efforts.

The author is a Managing Partner at Ogilvy Africa