No ban yet: NACADA clears air as Kenyans panic over alcohol crackdown policy

The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) has moved to calm nationwide anxiety sparked by the government's new drug and alcohol policy.

NACADA clarified that no ban has yet been imposed on alcohol advertising, online sales, celebrity endorsements, or home deliveries.

Kenyans, particularly entertainers, social media influencers, and liquor brand promoters, were thrown into confusion after news of sweeping proposals in the National Policy for the Prevention, Management, and Control of Alcohol, Drugs, and Substance Abuse 2025 went viral.

The policy was launched on Wednesday morning in Nairobi by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen.

CLARIFICATION!!! pic.twitter.com/zoxo0TMLgs

- NACADA Kenya (@NACADAKenya) July 30, 2025

The policy triggered anxiety online, with many entertainers, content creators, and Kenyans at large fearing an immediate shutdown of alcohol-linked gigs, promotions, and income streams.

Online outrage was sparked by key proposals in the policy, which included prohibiting celebrities and influencers from endorsing alcohol, banning alcohol sales in spaces like beaches, toy shops, petrol stations, supermarkets, and residential areas, and raising the legal drinking age from 18 to 21.

? SHIELDING OUR YOUTH FROM TOXIC INFLUENCES! ?

Alcohol ads targeting young people? LET'S ADDRESS THIS!!!

The National Alcohol Policy 2025 is taking bold action:
? Strict limits on alcohol marketing
? No more glamorizing drinking to minors
? Reduced exposure across all... pic.twitter.com/anWxe0pGSn

- NACADA Kenya (@NACADAKenya) July 30, 2025

Within hours of its unveiling, speculation ran wild that NACADA had effectively outlawed celebrity endorsements of alcohol and banned online liquor sales and deliveries. But in a sharp rebuttal issued later that evening, NACADA CEO Dr. Anthony Omerikwa dismissed those claims, stating that the document is simply a policy framework, not an enforcement directive.

"This is a national policy, and contrary to reports suggesting NACADA has banned certain practices such as alcohol advertising, online sales, home deliveries, and celebrity endorsements, we wish to emphasise that no bans have been introduced," Dr. Omerikwa said in the statement.

While the policy proposes restricting alcohol sales in spaces such as supermarkets, beaches, petrol stations, and residential areas, and also seeks to raise the legal drinking age from 18 to 21, NACADA stressed that these are just ideas on paper for now.

The actual implementation, NACADA stated, will require a multisectoral and inclusive approach, involving public input, government agencies, civil society, and private stakeholders.

Drug and substance abuse is compromising our public health, robbing the future of our youth, breaking families, fueling crime and tearing our communities apart.

Delighted to preside over the launch of the first-ever National Policy on the Prevention, Management, and Control of... pic.twitter.com/tad3ISONu0

- KIPCHUMBA MURKOMEN, E.G.H (@kipmurkomen) July 30, 2025

"Any proposal that requires legal backing will undergo a thorough law review process, which will be transparent and inclusive," the agency assured, adding that public participation will be at the heart of that process.

Still, the conversation rattled the creative industry. For Kenya's influencer economy, which thrives on branded partnerships with alcohol companies and nightclub appearances, the mention of banning celebrity endorsements felt like a direct threat to its survival.