The Effect of Alcoholic Drinks Control Act of 2010 on the Socioeconomic Welfare of Bar Owners and Patrons in Nyeri County

Abstract

Recognizing the magnitude of alcoholism in the country, the Kenyan Parliament enacted the Alcoholic Drinks Control Act of 2010, in an attempt to bring sanity in the Alcohol sector. Nevertheless, the regulation of alcohol consumption may highly affect the socio-economic welfare of bar owners and patrons in various ways. This study therefore sought to establish the effect of Mututho law on the socio-economic welfare of bar owners and patrons in Nyeri County their physical health; family relations; livelihoods and employment status. The research study used a descriptive research design. The target population comprised of bar owners and patrons in the 6 constituencies of Nyeri County which include Tetu, Kieni, Mathira, Othaya, Mukurwe-ini and Nyeri town. Stratified random sampling and snow ball sampling were used to select 31 bar owners and 93 patrons respectively. The study used questionnaires, interview guide and observation guide to collect data. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze quantitative data with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Content analysis was used to analyze data that was qualitative in nature. Data was then displayed by use of bar charts, graphs and pie charts and in prose-form. From the findings, the study established that the health of both parties in the alcohol industries (patrons and bar owners) in Nyeri County has improved considerably since implementation of the Mututho law. This has been aided by the reduced hours of work for bar owners and reduced drinking hours for patrons. The study also established that most of the patrons and bar owners lived in the same compound with their immediate families and reduced working hours or drinking hours for the patrons improved relationship quality with spouse and children to a great extent. It was also found that Mututho law led to a decrease in the profitability of bar businesses. Further, the study found that reduced alcohol consumption by patrons improve employee’s