Let me tell you the story of Copy copy and Mama Akinyil. This is a true story.
Where I work there is a pub nearby that sells the mwanainchi special pocket friendly senator keg drink. And usualy copy copy pub does brisking business with thirsty patrons hopping in and out at all hours of the day, on the other side of the road right opposite the Keg place and less than 20 meters from the chief's office is mama Akinyis chang'aa place, it also does brisk business with patrons coming and going through out the day.
Now as soon as the new laws became effective, copy copy remained closed through out the day while mama Akinyi remained open, now the thirsty patrons all flocked to the tax free chang'aa place during the day until five when the keg fans would cross the road to top up at copy copy's.
The chang'aa selling pubs all over the country remain in business on their regular hours, since chang'aa has always been illegal the operators of these places have developed symbiotic relationships with the law enforcers and thus have no fear of arrest, this relationship is known as 'kula na wao' or eating with them, them meaning the law enforcers.
Also next to copy copy's there is a 'school', well the sign at the gate says its a school though it has no playing ground as it is run in a building originaly intended to be a residential premises, in all ministry of education regulations this school should not even be registered, so one is left to wonder if Mr. Copy copy will be denied his license due to the proximity of his bar to this 'school'.Mama Akinyi has no worry about her businesses' proximity to the school as this year like all other years she will not apply for any license since her business is illegal, it has been since she was a child but that has never stopped any enterprising business person with the right skills.
As for copy copy he cant apply for a license yet since the liquor licensing courts are yet to be established and nobody at the DC's office could tell him when they would be formed.
Some of copy copy's patrons have been arrested and this adds to his sorrows,they were good customers that kept the place going, they took their drink at the wrong time and the law caught up with them. The prison where they are being kept is overcrowded and the warder admitted that the system may not be able to cope.
Copy copy will go home tonight at 11 pm counting his losses, he also feels that insecurity has gone up, nobody seems to be patroling th allyways strangely though they are always police hovering near his pub at arround clossing hour. Mama Akinyi will go home when the patrons have drunk to their fill, the new laws have been kind to her so far, as far as she is concerned chang'aa is now legal.
The new laws may be good but so were those that had declared chang'aa and other illicit brews illegal, the problem has always been the enforcement of these laws which is done in a partial and corrupt way. if we expect the same officers that have failed to enforce the old laws by taking advantage and enriching themselves to enforce thes new laws effectively,then we are doomed to failure.
Neither the public,the government licencing committes, the overcrowded prisons, the court system full of backlogs of cases and especialy the police force corrupt in its enforcement of the old laws is ready for this new law,so who is it benefiting to rush into its implementation,they say the fool runs in where angels fear to tread.
