Embu businesswoman jailed for illegal liquor production
Eastern
By
David Njaaga
| Jun 11, 2024
A court in Embu has sentenced a woman to four years' imprisonment for unlicensed liquor production and tax evasion.
Jackline Gatwiri Mairora, proprietor of Jacky's Wines and Spirits in Kiritiri trading centre, was found to have employed casual workers to illicitly produce alcohol at night in a rented house in Makuti village, Mbondoni sub-location.
The operation, which produced up to 30 crates of beer for distribution across Embu outlets, was uncovered following an intelligence-led operation. Mairora was apprehended on June 16, 2022.
At Siakago law court, she faced three charges: possession of excisable goods with counterfeit excise stamps, manufacturing excisable goods without a licence, and illegal possession of excise stamps, the latter implying a tax loss of Sh300,000.
Six witnesses, former employees involved in various stages of the illicit operation, testified against Mairora, corroborating the prosecution's case.
READ MORE
Kenya bans export of raw macadamia nuts
Tanzanian women married to Kenyans to now receive national IDs
Tragic night crash claims four lives on NarokMaai Mahiu Road
Kenya Wildlife Service eyes new fees to save wildlife as funding crisis bites
Motorists warned of traffic disruption along Nairobi - Maai Mahiu Road
At least 13 dead, 20 missing in Texas flash flood
Gov't pays Sh 2.8 billion for wildlife conflicts in Kilifi
Two decades on, police reforms falter under politics, brutality
Why it's time for urgent reforms in Kenya's sports sector
Taskforce told why Kenya's sports sector urgently needs reforms
"The law does not envisage granting of permission to anyone to possess counterfeit excise stamps," Principal Magistrate Stephen Ngii said in his ruling.
Ngii convicted Mairora on two counts but dismissed the charge regarding illegal possession of excise stamps due to insufficient evidence.