Kenya has unveiled a new policy to curb youth alcohol and drug abuse, raising the legal drinking age from 18 to 21, banning online sales, and restricting ads targeting children.
The 2025 National Policy on Alcohol, Drugs and Substance Abuse signals a deliberate and urgent shift in the government’s response to an issue that has been quietly tearing through families, schools, and communities across the country.
The reforms are to be spearheaded by the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA), which has been tasked with implementing the proposals in collaboration with county governments, local leaders, and enforcement agencies.
The policy highlights that underage drinking has escalated beyond a marginal issue and is now considered a national emergency. The statistics presented are both alarming and revealing. Approximately 13 per cent of Kenyans between the ages of 15 and 65 — an estimated 4.7 million individuals — are regular alcohol consumers.
The highest rates of consumption are found among young adults aged 18 to 24. Even more concerning is that at least one in every ten high school students has already used alcohol, with some children being introduced to it as early as six years old in certain communities.
NACADA further reports that “at least one in four teenagers first tried alcohol after seeing celebrity endorsements or alcohol advertisements on online platforms or billboards.” This finding has fuelled part of the policy’s strongest language, calling for an overhaul of how alcohol is marketed and accessed, especially by children and adolescents.
One of the headline proposals is the plan to raise the legal drinking age from 18 to 21. This move is based on research that suggests delaying alcohol access significantly reduces addiction rates and related social harms. If implemented, this will bring Kenya in line with global standards followed in countries such as the United States, where higher age limits have shown long-term public health benefits.
The new policy also seeks to completely ban online sales and home delivery of alcohol — a growing avenue for underage access. The report describes digital platforms as a “fast-growing but dangerous convenience” that has allowed teenagers to bypass traditional age restrictions.
“With just a few taps on their phones, children are now able to order alcohol directly to their homes,” the policy notes, warning that enforcement must catch up with technology.
Another central measure is the planned restriction of alcohol advertising. The government will prohibit any form of alcohol promotion during children’s television programs, school activities, and on public holidays.
In addition, alcohol ads on billboards, social media, and through celebrity influencers will be outlawed. All alcoholic beverages will be required to carry clear health warnings in both English and Kiswahili — a measure intended to promote public awareness and informed decisions.
In a sweeping zoning directive, alcohol-selling outlets will no longer be allowed to operate within 300 metres of schools, places of worship, and residential areas. If enforced, this rule is expected to force hundreds of bars and liquor shops to relocate or shut down entirely. “This zoning law could result in tens of bars relocating or shutting down,” the policy reads.
The government also plans to create alcohol-free zones around schools and churches — spaces where no sale, advertisement, or consumption of alcohol will be allowed. These zones, it argues, will help reduce children’s exposure and rebuild a sense of discipline and community responsibility.
To support this, the government has committed to expanding access to rehabilitation centres, including the establishment of new facilities at county and national levels. These centres will offer both in-patient and out-patient services and are expected to reduce the stigma surrounding addiction treatment.
Kenya’s battle with alcohol, however, goes beyond legal age limits and adverts. For decades, the country has been plagued by illicit brews, counterfeit spirits, and unlicensed bars, often operating with the quiet support of corrupt enforcement systems.
While past crackdowns have seen thousands of litres of illicit liquor destroyed and hundreds of arrests made, the government admits that “bribery and weak oversight” have allowed many illegal operations to resurface.
This new policy, however, seeks to break that cycle, not just by enforcing tighter laws, but by creating a culture shift that views alcohol abuse as a national threat, not a private habit.
The government says it is responding to a real and growing danger: broken homes, rising cases of gender-based violence, poor academic performance, unemployment, and a spike in mental health disorders — all linked in various ways to irresponsible alcohol use.
While some critics have raised concerns over the feasibility and enforcement of the new measures — particularly in informal settlements and rural towns where enforcement is already thin — the government has insisted that the cost of inaction is too great. In many areas, community leaders and religious institutions have already expressed support for the reforms, urging Parliament to move swiftly in turning the proposals into law.
The policy is now under review and awaits formal adoption by the relevant ministries and county governments. If fully implemented, it would represent one of the boldest alcohol regulation efforts in Kenya’s history — a statement of intent from a government increasingly alarmed by the long-term impact of unchecked alcohol use on the nation’s social and economic wellbeing.
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