KISUMU, Kenya, Aug 1 — Kisumu bar owners have told the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) to focus on rehabilitating heavy drinkers instead of stifling their businesses with what they term as “ill-informed” policies.Through their association, the operators accused NACADA of drafting a new alcohol policy without meaningful consultation with stakeholders, following the unveiling a proposed policy document on Wednesday. Kisumu Bar Owners Association Chairperson Daniel Ouma said the reforms — which propose raising the legal drinking age from 18 to 21 and banning alcohol sales in beaches, petrol stations, restaurants, and supermarkets — risk crippling the industry and costing thousands of jobs.“The proposals should primarily come from us — the players on the ground — not somebody sitting in Nairobi drafting a policy document without public participation,” Ouma said on Friday. “We already have a struggling economy. The new proposal will shrink it further. The government needs to rethink this idea.”No bans yet: NACADA says new alcohol policy still under reviewHe faulted NACADA for what he termed as misplaced priorities, saying alcohol funds set up by counties should be directed to rehabilitation programs for problem drinkers rather than punitive measures against bar owners. “Alcoholic funds should be channeled into rehabilitation centers. Over the years, we don’t know what the fund has done,” Ouma said.‘Drinking cards’He also dismissed the proposed age-limit increase as impractical, questioning whether the government intends to issue “drinking cards” for those over 21. “These young people access drugs over the counter in chemists. As bar owners, we have no control over that,” he added.Ouma further criticized the planned ban on alcohol sales in leisure spaces, arguing it would hurt Kenya’s hospitality sector. “Globally, hospitality drives economies, especially in beach areas where alcohol sales are part of leisure. As a country, we are moving backwards while the world is moving forward,” he said.He urged the government to involve stakeholders and relevant ministries before making policy changes. “These measures should be well thought out with input from all players. We must avoid knee-jerk actions,” he said.