Kileleshwa Member of County Assembly (MCA) Robert Alai has expressed his misgivings on how the government plans to enforce the proposed 300-metre distance between schools and areas where alcohol is sold.

Speaking during a TV interview on Thursday, July 31, 2025, Alai observed that while the idea was viable in rural areas, it could raise serious enforcement challenges in slum dwellings where schools and shops are clustered together.

“Most of the schools we have in the slum areas are bars at night and a school during the day because we have not built enough schools,” Alai said.

“In some of the slum areas, students learn in places that are churches during the weekend and schools during the week. How is this distance thing going to work?” he posed.

Enforcement hurdles

While the policy proposal has been in place since 2010, NACADA has met various challenges in enforcing the distance rule, given that most urban centres in the country lack proper organization.

This policy proposal applies to nurseries, primary, secondary, and other learning institutions for persons under the age of eighteen years, as per the existing Alcoholic Drinks Control Act of 2010.

NACADA recommends prohibiting outdoor alcohol advertising, social media endorsements, and celebrity promotions of alcohol, particularly during children’s programming, school events, and public holidays.

Specifically, it bans ads within 300 meters of learning institutions and all forms of alcohol marketing within schools and educational settings.

Shutdown

In the past, NACADA has conducted raids on bars and alcohol outlets in close proximity to schools and shut them down.

NACADA’s new policy proposal aims to strengthen existing regulations regarding alcohol sales near schools, but its full implementation will depend on legislative processes and public input.

NACADA CEO Anthony Omerikwa, while acknowledging the national interest the agency had generated with its new proposals, clarified that they were policy suggestions subject to public and other stakeholders’ input and a thorough law review before they are enforced.

“This is a national policy, and contrary to reports suggesting that NACADA has banned certain practices such as alcohol advertising, online sales, home deliveries, and celebrity endorsements, we wish to emphasise that no bans have been introduced,” NACADA CEO  Anthony Omerikwa stated on Wednesday, July 30, 2025.