LOCAL Government and Rural Development Minister, Gary Nkombo, says the country needs to come together and curb the brewing of Kachasu because it is killing citizens.
Nkombo was responding to Lukulu East UPND MP, Dr Christopher Kalila, who asked in the National Assembly whether government was aware that more than 20 people had died in the past one month in Southern Province and other parts of the country after consuming a home-made illicit alcohol, commonly known as “chiyabi” in Southern Province.
Dr Kalila also wanted to know the measures that government was taking to curb the vice and avert further loss of lives.
Nkombo said the matter was investigated thoroughly and the local authorities had placed a ban on the alcohol.
“The ministry is aware that people died in the past one month in Southern Province and other parts of the country after consuming a homemade illicit alcohol. The ministry was made aware of the death of people as a result of drinking illicit alcohol through media. Eventually the affected local authorities reported the matter to the ministry. Following the reports, the following measures were undertaken by the affected districts: (i) investigated the matter further through the relevant institutions, enforcing the Liquor Licensing Act of 2011 and the Public Health Act cap 295 by immediately banning the sale of illicit alcohol in the district, (ii) intensifying inspections through a combined team of the local authorities, public health inspectors and the Zambia Police, (iii) encourage the local authorities to carry out sensitisation through the civic and local leaders. The ministry has encouraged the district to continue sensitising the communities on the dangers of alcohol while continuing to enforce the provisions,” he said.
Nkombo recalled that he got in trouble in the past for trying to stop the brewing of Kachasu.
“This is a very passionate matter for me, I once got myself into trouble trying to reverse the trend of brewing of illicit alcohol, to be specific Kachasu. My appeal is that we should hold each other’s hands to make sure that we align our people’s activity to the law, especially where alcohol brewing is concerned because it is killing our people, some of it is killing them slowly, in the case of Kachasu. This new one which they make out of nugget polish, methylated spirit and concoctions is killing them instantly. So the argument before has been that, for those who are brewing it, is that ‘we are doing this in order to take our children to school’. This government has now given the citizens free education. And because that became the mitigating factor when people said we are making this alcohol because we want to take our children to school, that argument now has fallen out. This is the reason why I am appealing that we hold each other’s hands in order to make sure that we mercilessly follow the law, so that those who are brewing this illicit alcohol can be placed where they belong,” Nkombo said.
Nkombo said the problem of alcohol abuse was inherited.
“This is a problem that we inherited ourselves, if you go to Freedom Way, to Lumumba Road and also many other CBDs in our country, you will find that there is arbitrary sale of alcohol at every street corner. This just became an acceptable norm. Can we for once work together because this government is not scared of doing the right thing as previous governments may have been. But sometimes we get into unnecessary discussions where when we move in to align society for good, others will take political mileage and say, ‘but what are they going to eat?’ I wished the MP for Pambashe would have maybe given a preamble before I answered the question, to answer to my call whether or not they are willing to run with us on this matter to ban and to make the punishment of those who perpetrate this more punitive, I would be very comfortable. This is a matter that we need to nip in the bud now because the distraction that it causes in the generations that will come after us is too humongous to contemplate,” said Nkombo.
Adding on, Speaker of the National Assembly, Nelly Mutti, urged all MPs to take responsibility in curbing the abuse of illicit alcohol.
”It is very clear that we have a problem at hand and it needs solutions. For us as Parliament we are there to provide solutions. So the committee which can do this, why don’t we take this up as a topical issue, investigate, carry out an inquiry and make recommendations. All of us members of parliament need to take responsibility because I think it is total moral decay of our society for people to be involved in this level of alcohol abuse. I am just making an observation as a parent whereby people would want to educate their children, killing other people’s children, I think that doesn’t stand well,” said Mutti.