Embedding Public Health Approaches to the policing of alcohol in Kenya

Project Description

Heavy handed law enforcement approaches that have historically been deployed by the Kenyan government to regulate alcohol consumption seem to have failed. It is estimated that 12.5% of Kenyans aged 15-65, especially young men, currently use alcohol, with 5% of them were alcohol dependent, and alcohol use and abuse is estimated to account for 4% of deaths in Kenya. Kenya also faces a significant challenge of illicit alcohol, whose consumption often results in mass deaths. In early 2024, 17 people died in Kirinyaga County, in the central Kenya region, after consuming illicit liquor. This has given fresh impetus to the public perception of alcohol abuse as the predominant governance issue in central Kenya, including Murang’a County.

Research on the policing of drugs in Europe has showed the need for policy interventions to avoid reductionist law enforcement approaches focused on individual level factors and adopt public health approaches. Examples include the successful implementation of drug checking services and drug consumption rooms (DCRs). In Scotland, public health approaches such as the use of Naloxone have been adopted to address the drug-related deaths challenge that the country faces. The proposed study seeks to build on the insights emerging from the Scottish experience to assess the viability of public health approaches to alcohol control in Kenya.

The aim of the proposed exploratory qualitative study is to identify ways in which public health approaches can be embedded to the policing of alcohol in Kenya. As such, it aligns with SIPR’s first strategic research priority: policing and health, safety and well-being. Situated in Murang’a County, the study will involve 6 structured key informant interviews with local chiefs, public health experts, elected officials, NGO officials, and officials from national government agencies responsible for alcohol control. 2 focus group discussions with 6-8 people each drawn from various stakeholder groups including community members, bar owners, religious leaders. The respondents will be asked to assess the effectiveness and sustainability of current policing approaches and for their perspectives on the adoption of public health approaches.

The preliminary findings of the study will be discussed with the stakeholders in a half-day workshop in Murang’a to refine the findings, deepen dialogues between them and structure develop a collaborative research agenda for aligning policing practices to public health approaches in response to alcohol use and abuse in Kenya. The study findings will then be developed into a working paper, laying out the research agenda going forward. This paper will be presented to policy actors in Kenya and to the criminology and policing in Scotland through forums at Edinburgh Napier University, SIPR and SCCJR. This will also be opportunities to gather feedback to strengthen the project in readiness for the subsequent grant application.

This study will form the basis for an application to the ODA Challenge Oriented Grants in 2025. The grants scheme provides opportunities for researchers based in the UK and countries like Kenya to develop and/or deepen international research collaborations on internationally focused ODA-eligible policy-relevant research projects on specific global challenges including public health matters. Local researchers who will be invited to participate in the research grant application will be invited to participate in the workshop.