Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has officially lifted the suspension of eight local administrators in Kirinyaga County, a decision that overturns an order made by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua in 2024.
Speaking during a Jukwaa la Usalama forum in the county, Murkomen explained that the administrators, who were previously punished for alleged negligence in dealing with illicit alcohol in their areas, had already endured enough suffering.
He announced that they would now be reinstated to their positions without further delay.
The administrators affected include three chiefs and five sub-chiefs, all from Mwea West Sub-county. Their areas of jurisdiction are Mutithi, Kathiga, Ngomongo, Kianjogu, Kariukuini, Gitumbi, and Kiandiiri.
They were suspended last year after more than 20 residents tragically lost their lives due to alcohol poisoning, an incident that sparked national outrage.
Murkomen told the gathering that after reviewing the matter, he had been convinced the suspension was unfair. He argued that the chiefs had been working hard to combat the sale of illicit brew, but their efforts were often frustrated once suspects were taken to court and released shortly afterward.
“I have received reports about the suspended chiefs, and the matter is being resolved. The county commissioner has briefed me, and we are handling it.
After evaluation, we realized it was not their fault. They were doing their best to fight illicit brew, but once offenders went to court, they were set free. So, we believe they should not continue to be punished and must now go back to work,” Murkomen assured.
The administrators were first suspended in February 2024, after Gachagua, who was then serving as Deputy President, ordered action during a mass funeral for victims of the alcohol tragedy in the region.
During his time in office, Gachagua was a vocal campaigner against illicit alcohol, especially in the Mount Kenya region. He often described the fight as a personal mission to protect young people whose lives were being destroyed by cheap and dangerous brews.
Even after his impeachment in 2024, Gachagua continued to defend the anti-illicit brew programme. In one of his earliest public appearances after leaving office, he appealed to local administrators to protect the work he had started.
“Please, chiefs and assistant chiefs, do not allow the return of the illicit brew that was destroying our children. We worked hard to deal with this problem, and I ask you to ensure the gains we made are not lost,” Gachagua said during a funeral in Limuru on October 30, 2024.
He added that the fight was not about politics but about saving young men, who he described as being in serious danger. “The boychild is in trouble. You may push Rigathi Gachagua aside, but I plead with you not to abandon the work that was done to save the boychild,” he remarked emotionally.
At one point, Gachagua even claimed that certain influential individuals within President William Ruto’s administration were secretly working to reintroduce illicit alcohol in Mount Kenya.
According to him, the move was intended to weaken the political strength of the region by destroying its youth.
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