Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has seized illicit alcoholic beverages valued at over Ksh 2.4 million during an enforcement operation in Makuyu area, Murang’a County.
The raid conducted on Friday follows a tip-off from the public leading to KRA enforcement officers to storm the manufacturing plant illegally operating within Wellcreek Restaurant, situated along the Nairobi–Embu Road.
Upon inspection, the facility was found to be fully equipped with an unlicensed alcoholic production plant that had been manufacturing and packaging alcoholic drinks without excise license issued by KRA. Additionally, the beverages were not affixed with excise stamps, which is in violation of the Excise Duty Act.
During the operation, officers recovered a total of 6,134 litres of alcoholic beverages, which included 1,240 litres of finished products.
Among the seized items were branded and unbranded cocktails, including Ukoo, Mojito Cocktail, Pinacolada, Wicked Tea, Martini Cocktail, Mixed Flavor Cocktail, and LongIsland Cocktail. In addition, the officers recovered approximately 2,000 litres of unpackaged compounded liquor.
The facility was also discovered to be producing traditional alcoholic drinks such as Muratina, which were properly packaged in both 500ml metallic cans and 750ml glass bottles.
An assessment by KRA revealed that the government stood to lose approximately Ksh 600,000 in excise tax revenue had the products reached the market.
Following the operation, KRA officers secured the premises and transferred the seized products and raw materials to the Authority’s warehouse for further processing and investigations.
