NACADA Launches Multi-Agency Manhunt After Counterfeiters Escape in Uasin Gishu

 

 By Wasike Elvis 

A multi-agency operation led by the National Authority for the Campaign Against Drug Abuse (NACADA) on Friday evening  triggered an intensive manhunt after two suspected counterfeiters escaped during a dramatic raid in Uasin Gishu County. 

The operation resulted in the seizure of illicit industrial ethanol believed to be used in the manufacture of counterfeit alcoholic beverages.

NACADA’s Deputy Director of Corporate Communications, Simon Mwangi, confirmed that the operation was prompted by intelligence reports pointing to an active counterfeiting network within the county. The suspects—described as well-known and notorious players in the illegal alcohol trade—fled during the raid and are now being pursued by a joint security team.

The Friday night operation comes a day after a separate multi-agency raid on Thursday, led by Uasin Gishu County Police Commander Benjamin Mwanthi, County DCI Officer Daniel Muleli, and Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) officers. During that Thursday operation, authorities stormed a residential property believed to have been converted into a full-scale illegal distillery.

Illegal Distillery Uncovered Inside a Residential Home

When officers entered the premises on Thursday, they found a fully operational illicit distillation plant hidden inside an ordinary house. The air was thick with a chemical stench, and the floor was covered with plastic drums, coiled pipes, heating elements, and improvised distillation equipment. Lines of jerrycans filled with a clear liquid—suspected to be ethanol—were stacked along the walls.

Security officers recovered nineteen jerrycans of suspected ethanol, thirty boxes of already distilled alcohol, and twenty more jerrycans awaiting processing, indicating that the illegal production was highly active and possibly ongoing daily. One distillation unit was still warm, suggesting the operators fled just moments before the officers arrived.

Inside the house, police also seized counterfeit KRA excise stamps, many printed with the word BEST, which are commonly used to disguise illicit brews as legitimate, duty-paid products. This discovery points to a broader, well-organized distribution network supplying illegal alcohol across Eldoret and neighbouring counties.

 

Public Warned as Festive Season Approaches

Mwangi urged the public to remain alert during the festive period, noting that illegal brewers often increase production to exploit high demand.

“This serves as a wake-up call to the public to always keep us informed should they come across any suspicious activity,” Mwangi said. “We are issuing a warning to people engaged in this illegal business that it will not be business as usual.”

He added that NACADA, together with other enforcement agencies, will intensify spontaneous operations nationwide to dismantle illicit alcohol networks.

“We ask the public to volunteer information so that we safeguard our children,” he emphasized.

 

Manhunt Intensifies

Authorities are calling on residents of Uasin Gishu and neighbouring Wasingisho County to provide any information that could help track down the fleeing suspects. Security teams have pledged heightened operations throughout the holiday season.

With the recent back-to-back seizures, law enforcement agencies say they are determined to crack down on counterfeit alcohol networks and protect the public from the growing dangers posed by illegal brew operations.