- A mother of three was arrested in Kiang’ombe for selling chang’aa.
- Five litres of the illegal brew were recovered from her home.
- She pleaded guilty, saying she did it to feed her children.
- The court fined her Sh10,000 or three months in jail if unpaid.
- The brew was ordered to be destroyed.
A 32-year-old woman from Kiang’ombe in Kiganjo, Thika, has been fined Sh10,000 after being caught with chang’aa. The single mother, only identified as Pauline N., was arrested on July 3 after a night raid led by the area chief.
According to police, Chief Simon Kimani acted after getting a tip-off from residents. Officers found five litres of the illegal drink in her house during the patrol.
When taken to court the next day, Pauline didn’t deny the charges. She admitted she had been selling chang’aa but explained it was out of desperation. One of her children is in high school, and she said she had no stable way to provide for them.
“I didn’t want to do this, but I had no choice,” she told the magistrate. “I’ve looked for other jobs, but nothing worked. I just wanted to feed my kids.”
While the court sympathised with her situation, the magistrate reminded her that breaking the law was not the solution. “You know this is illegal, yet you chose it,” the judge said.
Pauline was given the option of paying a Sh10,000 fine or spending three months in jail. The court also ruled that the seized brew be destroyed immediately.
This case adds to the rising number of women in low-income areas turning to illegal liquor to survive. With the cost of living still high, many single mothers say they feel abandoned and trapped with no other way to support their families.
